Fairy Tail: Hardcourt Heroes!
by HappyTheCamper
Summary: AU: Natsu and Gray are college basketball all-stars, and once their freshman season ends they become eligible for the FBA Draft! As they both dream of playing professional basketball, watch what happens when they get drafted to the league's worst team-The Magnolia Fairies. How will they cope with all the distractions? Fame, wealth...and let's not forget the women. Implied Romance.
1. 1 - The Game They Love

**Author's Note: Hello! Here's HappyCamper999 coming off of an amazing finish to my last crossover story (Which will end on Monday!)**

 **Now, I've brought my newest story to the table...an _athletic/romantic AU_ for Fairy Tail. Well, this will at least be the first chapter which will stay here as a teaser in case I get to busy, but I'm liking my creativity on this one...**

 **Now, this is going to center around the sport of Basketball...and there will be romance involved. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! (Ironically today is both Valentine's Day and it's the NBA All-Star game...sort of hit two birds with one stone on this one.)**

 _ **It is important to note that I do not own Fairy Tail. It, it's story, characters, settings, and all other aspects are the property of Hiro Mashima. The only aspects from this story I can claim is the plot and setting for the Alternative Universe.**_

* * *

Fairy Tail: _Hardcourt Heroes!_

Chapter One - The Game They Love

* * *

"Good evening and welcome back to our main program for the night! We bring you live to the _FCAA's Men's Basketball_ championship game, where the former champions at _Onibas University_ are currently down by one vs the _Acalypha School of Business!_ "

…No. This is _not_ the Grand Magic Games in the magical _Kingdom of Fiore_. This land known as Fiore is much more modern and far more related to our own way of living. Yes the names sure seem familiar, but for the most part this is an entirely different universe featuring our beloved friends from the magical kingdom of Earth-Land.

Here, Fiore is a lot like today's world, modern and on the rise. Fiore is home to large, urban sprawling cities, with major attractions at each and every corner, but for the purposes of this story, we would like to focus your attention on one particular game of interest, _basketball_.

"As stated before, I am Chapati Lola, and with me as always is my partner in crime, Yajima!" Said the #1 sports anchor in the country of Fiore, Chapati Lola. "Okay Mr. Yajima; you were once in the very same shoes as these youngsters. What would like to tell them?"

His side commentator, and former _FBA all-star_ Mr. Yajima, sighed as he tried remembering the god ol' days of playing basketball. "Well, I have played in a similar game to this…so all's I can say is these kids can't over think it, and instead they need to relax and play with their hearts."

Apparently we find ourselves listening in on a rather big broadcast from the commentating duo of Fiore.

"Well, I bet if they could hear you, they would agree on that one!" Said a rather excited Chapati from the sideline of the court. "Now, it looks like the timeout has ended, so let's see what the former champions have to say…?"

The referee blew his whistle as the two teams reemerged onto the court. Right away, the former champions from Onibas looked ready for action as their star point guard, Sting Eucliffe, took the court.

"Okay, I think it's time we let the game come to an end. I'm starting to get bored over here….and these losers from the small town community college should go ahead and pack their bags." The cocky blonde point guard laughed to himself as his partner and small forward, Rogue Chenney took a place on the other side of the ref.

"Hmm…if you say so." Rogue's eyes seemed to be calculating and ready for action as he waited for the referee to hand him the ball.

On the other side of the court, the winning team from Acalypha seemed to also be ready for action as they took the field for their last minute defense.

"Hehe, these idiots have no clue what to do. There's only 30 seconds left, and they haven't scored within the last 10 minutes!"

National all-star and prospective first overall draft pick for the FBA, Natsu Dragneel laughed and waved his arms at the losing Onibas players while the teams took the field. The winning team seemed to barely take the lead over the last quarter of play, after turning a former 12 point deficit into a 2 point lead.

His teammates all shook their heads, and his close friend and team small forward, Gray Fullbuster joined him on the court.

"Natsu, I'd watch the mouth if I were you. We haven't exactly won this game yet." Gray was ready to win too, but he always kept a level head when it came to these kind of big moments. Nastu and Gray were both freshman all-stars at Acalypha. Signed right out of high school, they brought their talents to the tiny business school in the rural city of Acalypha, and as a result they turned the small town college into a nationally recognized name with a competitive record to boot.

Now, the _Businessmen_ of Acalypha were ready to win their first school title as the _Pioneers_ of Onibas came on to the court.

"Okay, I hope the old guys are ready to play?" Natsu looked to his 3 elder players and Acalypha seniors as the ball hit the ref's hands.

"Natsu, you gotta calm down! You always run your mouth whenever you get nervous!" Said the Acalypha legend and campus heart throb, _Haru Glory_ , who starred as the team's senior Shooting Guard.

The team center and man of brawn, _Shiki Ryuho_ shook his head as well. "Yea man. Chill out for a moment…just save the energy for the after party!"

The rowdy Shiki then tried to high five his not-so-rowdy brother and senior power forward, Aki, who shook his head. "Just…no man…"

Natsu turned to the Pioneer players and laughed. "Hehe, like I said…these idiots have no chance."

Sting would have turned around, but instead just let out a simple smile. "I'd watch that mouth if I were you, _All-star_. You'll be cryin' out of it once we take this game."

 _*TWEEEEET!*_

The ref blew the whistle and handed the ball over to Rogue, who quickly passed it in to his trusty PG, Sting. The White Dragon of Onibas smiled as he dribbled up court, and quickly did a back and forth dribble between the legs to try and throw off Natsu.

"I hope you're fast enough, Salamander…!" Sting winked and quickly blazed by Natsu in a streak of white light as he dribbled through the entire Acalypha defense and went in for a field goal.

Natsu didn't like that and chased him down, securing a team foul while he was at it.

"FOUL ON #00 Natsu Dragneel from Acalypha, who quickly earns his 4th!" Chapati reminded the audience of every play that happened as Natsu smacked his own forehead and allowed Sting to take the line.

"Hehe…here comes the after party." The blonde PG used no effort to sink the first basket and secure the tie for his team, which did nothing but infuriate the members of Acalypha.

"Man…this stinks." This did not come from a member of Acalypha, but rather a neutral _female fan_ sitting in the middle section of the arena within a very elaborate and very expensive box seat at center court.

"Lucy, I'm not sure why you feel the need to root for either team?" Said the naïve girl's blonde father sitting beside her. "You don't even have an affiliation to either side."

"Oh Jude, let the girl root for whoever she wants…" Said a rather small elderly man on the other side of the tall blonde man. "…after all you force her to root for our god awful team back in Magnolia. Now she gets to root for some boys who actually show a little heart."

Jude Heartfilia didn't like the sound of that. "Coach Dreyar, I don't pay you to bad mouth your own team…and as for my daughter I suggest you leave the parenting to me."

"Well…you _are_ the owner." Coach Dreyar sighed and shook his head, and then hatched a bit of curiosity forming in his head. "Tell me, child, why is it you root for Acalypha more than Onibas?"

The 17 year old blonde girl known as Lucy turned and smiled. "Oh, w-well I just admire that they're a small school playing the former champions...Plus I heard you both talking about drafting some of their players. So I figured I should start rooting for them sooner or later!"

Coach Dreyar laughed at the curious girl's analysis. "Hehe, well something tells me you're thinking _less_ about the teams, and more about the _players_ themselves?"

Lucy let out a tiny blush and turned away. "O-oh well, I mean they are close to my age."

Lucy recognized that she was still 17, but she was only one more year of high school away from entering a college of her own. She also noticed that several players in tonight's championship game were only 18 and 19, and they appeared to be freshmen ready for the big leagues.

Jude sighed. "Either way, it looks like your Acalypha team is now going to lose…"

Lucy and Coach Dreyar both turned to see Sting successfully make his 2nd free throw as it put the Pioneers up by one.

Natsu growled and readied himself as his head coach yelled over from the side line. "Okay, Natsu. Let's not go too crazy on this play…"

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yea yea…I hear ya _Gildarts_." The Acalypha players seemed to have such a close relationship with their head coach, Gildarts Clive that they always referred to him by his first name. Either way, Gray Fullbuster took a readied ball from the ref and threw it in to Natsu, who quickly turned and dribbled down court.

"Okay, Sting, you ready to see me earn my 50th point of the night?"

Sting rolled his eyes as he stayed in defense to guard Natsu. "Yea? Just shut up and make your play."

Natsu tilted his head and tried rushing the net, but as he did Sting barely tapped the ball and forced a turnover. Luckly, Natsu's skilled teammate Haru barely got a hand on the ball and turned it back to the Businessmen's side.

"GOOO HARU!" His girlfriend, and longtime supporter, Ellie stood in the school's student section as she yelled for him to make a play. Haru had to tune her out in order to drive the ball for the net. As the time ticked off the clock, every player on the field bum rushed Haru and the net, and at the last second the silver haired bullet laid the ball up and barely got the ball in the rim.

"NO GOOD!" The main official yelled after blowing his whistle while swiping the score away with his hands. "ONIBAS _WINS!_ "

Boos and yells came from all over the arena as the previous champions took home the win yet again, leaving the Businessmen of Acalypha confused and heartbroken.

Sting ran right by Natsu with a smirking face. "Hehe, I told you little schools shouldn't be in a game like this."

Natsu growled and went to throw a punch, but Gray and Shiki quickly came in to hold him back.

Gildarts sighed with a smile and waved to his player. "Agh, all right…bring it in ya bunch of losers."

"MAN!" Back in the box seats, Lucy kicked the chair in front of her in a quick bout of anger. "I hate it when teams like that win!"

Jude cocked an eye-brow. "Really? From what I see that little trouble maker on Acalypha lost the game….Makarov what do you think?"

Coach Makarov sighed. "Well, he needs work…if you really expect to draft him I'll need a brand new coaching staff to help me real him in."

Jude sighed as well. "Yes, just as I figured. You already suggested hiring a new _General Manager_ for the team while we're at it, and I can't seem to find anyone interested in the job thus far."

"Yea, that's because Magnolia's dead last in the league…" Lucy crossed her arms and softly whispered the comment underneath her breathe.

Jude looked right to his daughter with scolding eyes. "I'm sorry, dear. Do you have something else to say?"

Lucy turned on her smile for her reply."Haha, no father! Like always I think you guys will make the right choice!"

Jude kept a face of disapproval ad Makarov began laughing out loud. "Ahahah, well I better get going. We have an early practice tomorrow."

He then stood up and left the two Heartfilia alone. Jude followed by standing up too and expected his daughter to follow. "Alright Lucy. It's time for us to go as well."

Lucy slowly stood up, and noticed two specific players on the Acalypha side looked a lot more depressed than the rest of the team.

"Yea…fine." She then shook her head and followed her ever loving father out of the box.

* * *

Later, after the game and trophy ceremony, we find three Acalypha players packing up in the locker room.

"MAN! THIS STINKS!" Natsu pounded his fists into one of the lockers in pure anger after thinking back on the very recent loss.

Hs teammate Gray shook his head. "Why are you so mad? You lost the game for us."

Natsu stopped punching lockers to look Gray right in the eye. "Well I'm sorry I was the only one scoring points in the fourth quarter!"

Gray stood up. "HARU HAD LIKE 30 POINTS YOU MORON!"

The third player standing with them, Haru Glory, smiled and put his bag strap around his shoulder. "Eh, who cares? They were the better team."

Gray sat down from Haru's words and smiled. "Man, you're so calm and collected. I wish I could act like that after losing."

Haru smiled. "Hey, when you've played for the same team for 4 straight years, you tend to learn a thing or two…unlike you two all-stars. I hear you're both being scouted by the FBA already!"

Natsu finally found time to let out another smile. "Yea, but man it would be cool to see you join us! Think about it, the lights and cameras of a professional team every day!"

Haru shook his head. "Nah man. I love playing, but it's not what I want to do. I wanna earn my degree, find a job, see the world…"

"HARU! Are you in there?"

The silver haired senior laughed as his brown haired beauty of a girlfriend came into the locker room. "Oh yea, _and_ get married."

"There you are!" Ellie said with a bright smile on her face. "Are you okay…?"

Haru tilted his head. "Eh, I've been better…But hey, it's nothing I can't wear off!"

Ellie giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "You're so adorable, Haru." She then smiled towards Natsu and Gray. "Good game guys! I'm really sorry for the loss!"

Natsu shook his head and stuck his head inside his locker. "Yea yea, just get outta here, would ya?"

Ellie rolled her eyes and grinned. "Well, I'll at least say bye to _you_ Gray!"

Gray chuckled and smiled back. "Hey, good to see ya, Ellie! Take care of Haru on the trip home, okay?"

"Oh don't worry, I will!" Ellie smirked and wrapped her arm around Haru's as she escorted him out of the locker room.

Gray laughed. "Man, they really are perfect for each other."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yea? It's probably why he won't go pro…he's so gifted at basketball, but he still won't go pro."

Gray answered him. "It's not like that. He wants to raise a family and get a degree. You can't argue with that."

Natsu sat down with a sad face and sighed. "Yea, I guess you're right…"

Then, as the room got quiet, the locker room doors slammed open again as their coach and friend Gildarts Clive came in with a smile. "There ya are! Hey, great news! You boys had a lot of scouts tonight from the _FBA!_ "

Natsu smiled and stood from his seat. "Really?! Who were the teams?"

Gildarts tried remembering. "Well…let's see. The _Cerberuses_ , the home town _Pegasus_ teamfrom Acalypha…Oh and the current 1st place team in the league, the _Tigers!_ "

Gray stood up with a wide grin. "NO WAY! The _Saber City Tigers_?! Man they make it to the finals every year!"

Natsu scowled. "Yea, and they lose to _Tartarus_ every year also…those are the real winners. They'll probably beat the Tigers here in a week or so anyway."

Gray yelled back. "WHO CARES? If I land on a winning team I _know_ I'm going places!"

Gildarts smiled and added on one more thought. "Oh, and the _Fairies from Magnolia_ …hehe."

Gray sighed. "Agh, the losers in _last place_? Man, knowing our luck we'll get drafted there."

Gidarts laughed. "Well, they _do_ have the first overall pick, and you two are in the top 4 of the country's top prospects."

Natsu smiled. "Yea, and I would actually feel good bringin a championship to a team of losers!Maybe Magnolia is a good pick after all."

Gray laughed. "Yea? Then where's the trophy for _this_ team of losers?"

Gildarts rolled his eyes ad turned around. "Okay, well fight all you want. I just came in to tell you all some good news after your embarrassing loss."

Gary sighed and took his duffel bag. "Yea? Well getting drafted to a team like Magnolia isn't all that good of news…"

Natsu stood up and grabbed his bag to follow his teammate out. "I dunno, I could see us doing some great things for those losers. After all they aren't called the team of _Fairy Tales_ for nothing!"

* * *

 **Okay! So Natsu and Gray are college freshman eligible for the professional league draft! I hope they know what they're doing! (Also, I hope you liked the cameos from Hiro Mashima's past manga series. Shiki from _Monster Hunter_ , Aki from _Monster Soul,_ ans my personal favs Haru and Ellie form _Rave_!)**

 **Also, Jude Heartfilia is a Professional Team owner, and his daughter Lucy seems to be angry at their losing record...I hope his head coach Makarov Dreyar can turn the team around this coming season! (Extra note: expect more than just NaLu and Gruvia...A LOT more.)**

 **I was going to save this story for an April release, but I just finished writing my current story, and today is the NBA All-Star week...so I guilted myself into a February release instead. Please comment/review throughout the story! And keep and eye out for chapter #2!**


	2. 2 - The Main Ballers

**Author's Note: Hello! Here is the second chapter to my new fan fic! This one is gonna focus in on introducing the main men of the story. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

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Chapter Two - The Main Ballers

* * *

Natsu stood alone inside the semi-large _Love and Lucky Field House_ on the small campus of Acalypha's School of Business as he took jump shots on an empty court.

The collegiate season was over, and the Businessmen's winning record and national fame weren't enough to push them over the edge and into the light of champions. As Natsu shot alone, his 4 main teammates, Gray, Haru, Shiki, and Aki all sat on the bleachers as they appeared to be packing up their bags.

"Man that was a good pickup game." Shiki smiled and high fived his 3 friends. "I can't really say much about the freshman team, though. We smoked 'em pretty good!" He then smacked Gray, a very _skilled_ freshman, on the back in a joking manor.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Hey man, those guys are gonna carry this team next year since we're all leaving. I can't believe you're all 3 graduating and not one of you is gonna at least try for the FBA Draft."

Aki put his hood up and stood from his seat. "Why would we? Not very many seniors ever make it through the draft. FBA teams like younger guys who are naturally gifted." He then put his ear buds in and tried to leave the bleachers, but nearly fell over in a clumsy manor.

Haru shook his head and face palmed. "Yea, and let's just say some of us aren't graceful enough for the FBA. I mean…it would be cool to go pro, but I've already got offers from big companies for a new job, and Ellie wants to take a trip overseas before summer ends. I just don't have the time or patience to keep the basketball stuff up."

"HA!" Natsu heard that and laughed as he sunk another shot. "Man, don't tell me Ellie's the one keeping you from going pro?"

Haru shook his head. "No man, it's not like that at all…I'm just saying I prefer a different life style than you guys."

Natsu grabbed another ball off the shooting rack. "Yea, one with a _ball and chain_."

Gray waved his hand. "Ignore the idiot. I really hope you get one of those jobs, man."

Haru took the compliment as he gave Gray and the two Ryuho twins a secret team hand shake. "I'll take all the encouragement I can get. See you boys around."

Then, he left for the locker room, and Shiki and Aki quickly followed after that.

Natsu grabbed the last ball and began dribbling it through his legs. "Hey man, what's say we try a 1 on 1? Loser has to buy dinner!"

Gray tried to hold in his laugh. "Man, I'm worn out, plus we're flat broke. I figured I'd just go get some take out from the dining hall and head in for the night." He then grabbed his bag and walked towards the door. "See ya back at the dorm."

"Ah boo on you." Natsu made a growling noise and quickly let a shot loose from beyond the 3 point arc, and easily made it with very little effort.

Gray shook his head as he left the gym. " _Say what you want about his attitude…Natsu can sure play ball."_

* * *

Now, we remove ourselves from the tiny gym in Eastern Fiore and head up north to the end of a very exciting FBA game.

"Well after a quick display of athletics, it looks like the _Phantoms_ secured another win, sending them into the playoffs with a #1 seed in the east, and a 2nd seed overall!" Chapati Lola yelled into his microphone as the local fans of Oaktown were going nuts over their largest victory yet.

In the heart Northeastern Fiore, the local _Oaktown Phantoms_ were national contenders. With a team full of all-stars and a legendary coach at their back, it took a lot of skill to play a good game vs these guys.

As the two teams tried clearing the court, a very eccentric and wild reporter from the hit magazine _Sports Report Weekly_ tried stopping any member of the winning team he could find.

"MAN THIS IS _SOO COOL!_ So tell me _Coach Porla_ , what's it feel like to be the first team in the east to clinch the playoffs!?"

Stern but proud, the quick witted Coach Jose Porla smiled into the camera. "Well, Jason I think we've proven our superiority all year long. These men haven't lost a game all month, and going into the playoffs I think that's the best thing we could ask for." He waved with a sly grin as opponents tried to shake his hand, but couldn't due to the camera.

Jason continued. "Well your boys sure did play well, but I gotta ask…why bench super-star Power Forward, _Gajeel Redfox_ at half? He's led the league in points under the rim all year long?"

Jose was now getting angry with the pesky reporter's questions. "Eh…well we'll just say Gajeel's having a little off night with his teammates. It's nothing a little locker room talk won't cure…" he then walked away without officially ending the conversation, but Jason didn't seem to care as his real desired guest walked right by.

"OOOOOHHH! _GAJEEL!_ I GOTTA ASK WHY DO _YOU_ THINK YOU WERE BENCHED!?"

"AH SHUT UP! Lousy reporters…" Gajeel plowed through the large crowd without a second word as he went into the locker room tunnel. Yet as he did, a very familiar face from the court side seats came over with a smile.

"Gajeel, I'm not sure why these idiots keep trying to bench you? In my opinion you're the only one playing real basketball."

Longtime fan and resident of Oaktown, _Bora Sinclair_ had season tickets for his beloved Phantoms every year, but the only reason he had them was because his favorite player, Gajeel Redfox, just happen to be on the team. Bora was a fan of scrappy, hard hitting, contact basketball. He never agreed with the league's transition into more fouls being called, and often felt basketball needed to be a little rough in order to be a real sport. As a result, the roughest player in all the league was easily on of his favorites.

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he talked to Bora. "Yea man…well thanks for the support, I guess."

Bora then fiddled through his wallet and pulled out a business card. "Here. I'm having a little get together on my yacht tonight. The guest list is small, but _very_ elaborate. You should stop by…I'm awfully curious about your future in the league."

Gajeel was now starting to get annoyed by Bora as well. "Yea? What are you getting at…?"

Bora grinned and put away his wallet. "Well, I hear you're thinking about switching teams?"

"Eh…sorry that ain't no one's business." Gajeel didn't answer, but mainly because it was true. He hated his teammates on Oaktown, and felt Coach Porla was always out to manipulate his game. That being said at the end of the year, the hard hitting Gajeel was going to be out of a contract and ready for free agency.

As the two men continued having a one-sided conversation, Bora's guest from his seats decided to wonder over to see what he was up to.

"Um…Sweetie I hate to push you into leaving, but I need to be up awfully early tomorrow…and I…"

Bora turned and glared with a fake smile at his timid guest. "Juvia, quit being rude…I'll get you home when I get you home…" He then turned to Gajeel with a real smile. "I'm sorry about her! She's just not use to the atmosphere of FBA ball."

Gajeel waved his hands. "Yea? Well I can't really say I'm interested…" He then spat right on the hard wood and walked off into the locker room.

Bora looked awfully angry about his conversation with his favorite player coming to an end. He grabbed Juvia by the arm and brought her in closer. "Sweetie...If you _wanted_ to get home on time, you could have just _taken a bus_."

Juvia never gave her "beloved" boyfriend eye contact as she looked to the floor. "I… _right_ , you're right…"

Bora laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "Exactly, I'm _always_ right. Now, let's get out of here, since you obviously want to leave soo badly…"

* * *

Now, we find ourselves onto the next day, and with half of the league readying for the playoffs, a good portion of teams were now finished and had their sights set for the summer draft in the next few months.

Not only was it time for the post season, but the FBA had a nice policy that opened up free agency to any teams who did not make the playoffs, just to give them a chance at a smaller market of players. Here, we find one normal powerhouse team had just missed the playoffs by a single game as they try to gain an early hold on free agents.

"I can't believe we lost that damn game to Acalypha! The Pegasus team hasn't won in over two weeks!" Yelled the angry team owner of the _Cait Shelter Chieftons_ , _Brain Capriccio_.

His thin assistant smiled and timidly went to reply. "Well sir, we can't sit here and wither away with a loss. It's time to look to the future…which is why I brought in our first free agent for the off season."

Brain stopped as his assistant froze with fear. "You've already brought in a free agent for interviews…?"

The assistant laughed. "Yes! B-but not just any free agent. He's the #1 free agent in the entire league… _Jellal Fernandes_ from the _Crocus Roses_."

Brain laughed. "HA! The Shooting Guard? He left the Roses 2 years ago…Why on earth is he still on the market? He has the best shooting percentage in the nation!"

The assistant ignored answering to push his boss into the next room. "Yes, well…why don't you ask him yourself?"

Brain opened the door to find the handsome blue haired Shooting Guard sitting at the other end of the table. The sly team owner then grinned as he took a seat. "Well, if it isn't the _Meteor_ _Man_ himself. To be honest Jellal, I'm not sure why you're still looking for employment. From what I've seen you have the league's best shot, and your still in your 20s...you are still in your 20s, aren't you?"

The quiet but alert Jellal took a sip from the free coffee on the table and sighed. "I am yes, and to be honest it isn't me…it's usually the _other teams_ that ruin the deals."

Brain didn't like the sound of that. "Well, aren't you a cocky little free agent. Tell me, what have these other teams _failed_ to communicate? I'm willing to guess it involves salary?"

Jellal forced himself to laugh. "You owners always say the same thing. You offer no real incentives to come to your team except for the pay check. That's why Tartaros keeps winning the league, because their salary cap space is absurdly higher than everyone else in the league."

Brain propped his feet up on the table. "Well, what's wrong with flaunting the wealth? This isn't college, this is the _pros_. And frankly, if you're not here for money I'm not really sure why you're in my building."

Silence filled the room as the two quick minds looked into each other's eyes, with fire on both sides of the room.

Finally, Jellal took one last drink from his cup and stood up. "Figures. I knew you wouldn't have anything for me."

Brain spat on the ground. "Oh this is ridiculous. You act like you're better than every team in the league, and for what? _Self-pride_!?" He then stood up. "Idiots like you have no business in the FBA!"

Jellal smiled. "Self-pride? That takes a lot of guts coming from a guy who coaches and manages his own team…"

Brain walked over and stuck his chest in Jellal's face. "Get the hell out of my organization."

Jellal nodded and walked around, yet as he turned a corner into the next hallway, the super star athlete spoke to himself in a sad tone.

 _"_ _Isn't there any team who actually cares about basketball…or should I give up the hunt and just declare a second early retirement?"_

* * *

Finally, we find ourselves in the heart of Magnolia. A large and rather post-industrial town at the center of eastern Fiore. Magnolia use to thrive off the mines it established at its neighboring Mt. Igor, but over the modern years it's down town economy has dwindled, making it a rather poor place to live. Although the town does have several beautiful and historic sights to see, most people chose to not stay here for work and living, and many famous athletes tend to avoid playing here at all costs.

As the _Magnolia Fairies_ come off of another disappointing season, the main players find themselves all huddled up inside a stadium conference room in wait for their last team meeting of the season.

"Man, well this year sucked!" Yelled the rowdy shooting guard for the Fairies, Bickslow. "I can't believe we couldn't win a single game throughout all of winter!"

His friend and team Point Guard, Freed Justine sighed with a look of disapproval. "I agree with Bickslow, this team needs to turn things around, or else it could be the end of Magnolia's tenure inside the FBA."

"Didn't you hear? They already cut half the team!" Said a rather tense Small Forward, Jet. "That's why there's only five of us here!"

His friend and team Power Forward, Droy, sighed with his head lying flat on the table. "Man…I can't believe we cut Nab, Warren, _AND_ Max…you know we have the top draft pick this year…I bet a lot of us will be heading out the door too."

Jet slammed his fist down on the table. "It's just not fair! Why do Tartaros and Saber City always get the good players, and still get high draft picks! Saber alone has like 3 in the opening round!"

"Would you all just shut up already?" Said a rather tall and muscular player at the far end of the table. "The season's over, we get it. I don't wanna hear this crap for the rest of the day."

Freed spoke up. "I apologize, _Laxus_. We'll keep our conversation down to a minimum."

Laxus rolled his eyes and took off his head phones. "Eh, you know what I mean...I'm just sick of constantly being reminded about this team sucking."

Laxus happened to be the team's single all-star and starting Center. His granddad also happened to be Coach Makarov, which secured a place in his heart for Magnolia. Even though he's played there for his entire FBA career, his home town loyalty has always prevented him from choosing a new team.

Freed smiled. "I understand. Your passion as a citizen will always keep you here in Magnolia."

Bickslow then slapped the table. "Yea, not to mention that smokin' hot girlfriend of yours! She'd never want to leave Magnolia!"

Laxus smirked at that joke as Bickslow started up again. "Hey man, what kind of stories does your gramps have from his days as a Fairy? That was back when this team won every single championship!"

"Tsk, yea and before the league re-aligned." Laxus reminded Bickslow. "Now, we're the modern day laughing stock…"

"Right, which is why we can't go on like this any longer."

Everyone turned to the door to find Coach Makarov Dreyar standing in the doorway, quickly shutting the door behind him.

Droy finally raised his head, along with two hands in a praying motion. "Coach, please tell us you're not cutting any more players!"

Makarov smiled. "Boy, I think the lone fact that you're afraid of leaving this team shows you'll always have a place here…Nab, Warren, Max…they all left on their own…"

The room fell silent with the reality of their failure as Makarov spoke back up. "But, we are on the verge of rebuilding...From the entire ground up. I am going to work with Jude and his staff to hire both a new GM, and a new coaching staff with a young assistant coach, hopefully one that I can groom to take over the reins as a head coach too."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Yea? Well good luck trying to fix a team with a few pencil pushers…it'll take a lot more than a front office switch to turn this city of losers around."

* * *

 **1.) Okay, so Natsu and Gray are prospective freshman as previously stated.**

 **2.) Gajeel wants out of Oaktown, and he has a die-hard fan who loves his game (but apparently not his own girlfriend.)**

 **3.) Jellal is a league veteran looking for his new home. Poor Jellal.**

 **4.) Laxus is the home town hero of Magnolia, who apparently can't earn a winning season to save his life.**

 **Okay, what a sad group of dudes. I also hope you enjoy all the other cameos made by other FT characters as they're each revealed!**

 **Today was the boys, tomorrow the ladies! As always comments and reviews are encouraged!**


	3. 3 - The True Fanatics

**Okay, yesterday I introduced the main men of the series. Today I bring you the lovely ladies. Enjoy!**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Three - The True Fanatics

* * *

"Well that was the biggest waste of a meeting I've ever had at this stadium before." Laxus Dreyar sighed as he found his way into the lobby of the large _South Gate Garden_ Arena in the southern downtown region of Magnolia.

Although the team itself was a disaster, the pride of the organization was clearly the 150 foot tall downtown sporting center with beautiful glass and steel walls that also sat at around 950,000 square feet in size, and held roughly 20,000 fans. Even though the Fairies were nationally mocked, the locals couldn't get enough of them. A common phrase among the league was "The only thing Magnolia breeds right is loyalty."

The team was terrible, but they arguably had the best fans in the FBA.

Laxus now walked through the main lobby as he wondered out the front door and into the nighttime air, but as he did, the starting center was quickly joined by another team employee.

"Where are _you_ going?" Said a very pretty girl with long white hair, and a tiny strand of bangs tied in a tiny pigtail on her forehead. She stood standing at the foot of the nearest set of stairs with nothing but two gorgeous blue eyes, and a bright smile on her face as she wore an all maroon tight sweat suit with a matching duffel bag over her shoulder. "Were you thinking about leaving _without_ me?"

"Hey…" Laxus sighed and finally let out an honest smile after his boring team meeting. "Maybe I was? What happens next?"

The pretty face ran over to jump right into his big arms. She then made her case. "Eh, I'd just go home and spend the night at my sister's…after all I imagine you'd want the bed all to yourself tonight?" She looked up to the tall blonde haired Center and gave him a sarcastic wink.

"HA!" Laxus laughed and walked her out. "If that's your best answer maybe I _will_ leave you here…"

She swung her duffel bag up and hit him in the chest. "I don't need the sarcasm! You know I hate this time of year!"

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Eh come on _Mira_. What's the big deal? The season's over, but you're still gonna have your little cheerleading friends over ever damn day of the summer."

Mirajane Strauss was the captain of the Magnolia Fairies's professional dance team. She was easily their biggest fan, and showed her loyalty off at every single game with her collective of fellow cheerleaders dancing on the sideline.

Now, the beautiful Mira looked to her handsome boyfriend and star center in the FBA, and as she did, the white haired beauty cracked a smile. "Oh I know. I just like reminding you whenever I get the chance!"

Laxus shook his head. "So did ya hear the news? Gramps and Heartfilia hired a new GM, and next on the list they're getting a new assistant coach."

Mira looked intrigued. "Oh well that's exciting! I hope he's nice…the last GM was really creepy. He always lingered around the stadium during our dance practices…"

Laxus agreed. "Yea, that guy was a mess…Anyway from what I'm hearing this one's gonna be a _girl_ , and apparently she's fresh out of college too."

Mira was now far more than just intrigued. "Oh? Now that _is_ exciting! She'd be the first female GM in the history of the league! Not to mention the youngest too!"

Laxus opened the door to the outside as he held Mira under his arm. "I guess…as long as they're here by Draft Day I'm fine with anyone."

* * *

The next morning slowly arrived, and we now find ourselves aboard an all-white private jet flying a crossed the country of Fiore at roughly a 30,000 foot altitude.

Inside, a very familiar blonde teenager tried finishing up a quick video recording for her "adoring" fans all across the web.

"Okay, so before I sign off, I want to leave everyone with this quick thought. A new _GM_ , new _assistant coach_ , two _first round_ draft picks…what does all this mean for our Fairies in Magnolia? Do all the new toys spell a quick route to victory, or will we find ourselves back down at the bottom of the charts in a year's time? Either way, as Draft Day approaches, the fans of Magnolia can only look up. This is the _Sporting Zodiac_ signing off."

Lucy Heartfilia paused the recording session on her _Lac-Book Pro_ and scratched her chin. "Man, that still didn't feel right…I should just wait until we land before I release the new post…"

"Lucy, just give it a rest." Her stern father, Jude Heartfilia sat in a seat across from her as he read the morning National newspaper. "I still can't believe you think that little _sports blog page_ will credit you to become a journalist."

Lucy rolled her eyes and shut her lap top. "Ugh, dad just… _okay_ , tell me what's wrong with it?" She crossed her arms and waited for him to respond.

He never removed the paper. "Well okay, I watched your last video…you only had 30 views."

"AGH!" Lucy would have fallen over in embarrassment if she were not already firmly seated.

Jude continued as he finally removed the paper from his view. "Besides…the only reason your channel accumulates any big crowds is because you're the _owner's daughter_ , and you like to _leak_ all the information straight out of my mouth... _without_ my permission."

Lucy began looking slightly guilty as she sipped on her hand-made cup of coffee. "Hehe yea I forgot the news never broke about the whole GM thing before I released it…" She tried to smile, but her father glared back at her.

"Well you _are_ a good source for Fairy Basketball news!" The beautiful blonde teenager admitted with a shrug as she looked out the window.

Jude rolled his eyes. "Lucy sports journalism can only get you so far. Stick to your business classes and you'll live an honest and fulfilling life, just like I am."

Jude Heartfilia only owned the Magnolia team as a sort of hobby. His _real_ career was in commercial airlines. _Heartfilia Airways_ were the #1 airlines in the entire world of travel, and with a growing company under his belt, Jude Heartfilia was easily one of the wealthiest owners in the entire FBA.

However, in this league the owner being rich only gets your team so far.

"The FBA draft is coming up in two months' time. I better not catch you bringing your little _tape recorder_ back stage." He said with a firm sound in his voice.

Lucy nodded. "Yea yea, I understand."

To be completely honest, she _didn't._ Why did she have to follow her dad into a career in business? She never really did enjoy that life. Sure she brought home A's and B's at school, but the only reason she earned any _B_ in school was to prevent her resume from looking too good. If she had a 4.0 Lucy would have absolutely no excuse to dodge her father's Alma Mater in Crocus, and she would be stuck in a life of business forever.

In any case, Lucy Heartfilia was without a doubt the school's best writer, and she still had one year left in high school. She decided to join the school's student news team and the school yearbook club just to give herself some more experience in broadcasting and editing. However, she figured the best use of her time would be to hang around Magnolia Fairies games for their incoming season, and develop her sports blog as much as she could. If another team discovered her talents in broadcast journalism, then maybe she could convince her father that this _was_ the right career path for her after all.

So on that note, she decided to have a mature, sporting conversation with her father. "Sooooooo dad! Any ideas on who the Fairies are going to draft?"

Jude folded his paper down once more to make sure her laptop, phone, and recorders were all turned off. He then threw the paper in the seat beside him and crossed his legs as he snapped to the open isle.

"Virgo dear, could I get another cup of coffee, please?"

"Certainly, Mr. Heartfilia." Virgo, the family maid scrambled up a quick cup of black joe for her employer and swiftly delivered it to his side.

As she handed him a packet of sugar, he slowly began stirring the cup. "Well, Makarov keeps insisting we draft one of those _Acalypha boys_ …you know the ones we watched in the finals? But I'm not sure they're mature enough."

Lucy's eyes lit up with excitement as she finally had a chance to have a legitimate sports conversation with her father. She grabbed her laptop and pulled open some recent collegiate stats.

"Well it says here that Gray Fullbuster led the nation in free throw percentage at .94%! And Natsu Dragneel averages like 30 points a game! He also won the _National Prospect Award!_ "

Jude didn't look impressed. "Yes, Gray's free throw percentage is impressive, and it shows us he plays aggressive, but how well will he keep that up when everyone in the league moves at his speed, and they're all twice his height?"

"Ah…um…I...?" Lucy paused. This inside basketball talk was apparently harder than she thought.

Jude took a sip from his coffee. "And Natsu's a _point guard_ , which means he needs to focus less on shooting and more on facilitating. Yes, if he were a _shooting guard_ these would be great numbers. But if he isn't flexible with leaving the leader's position then he needs to learn how to _actually lead_."

Jude then kicked up his feet and smiled at his daughter as he tipped his cup. "And, _that_ my dear is how you break down the game of basketball. Now that I think about it...maybe I should be the one with a sports blog instead?"

"Heh." Lucy smiled with sarcasm and rolled her eyes as she looked out the window. "Whatever you say, dad."

* * *

As Jude and his daughter came in from their landing back to Magnolia we now find ourselves in the center of the _South Gate Garden Arena_ , where Coach Makarov Dreyar sits patiently inside a glass conference room with a random guest across the table.

Both Makarov and his guest sat without saying a word as they each began straightening the papers on their side of the table.

"Mmhm." Makarov forced a cough. "I'm terribly sorry about this. _She's_ new to the team, and this will actually be her first full week in the office."

"Yea?" The man sitting across from his rolled his eyes. "If you say so…so you're still hiring for the Head Coach's position?"

Makarov paused. "Um…no _I'm_ the head coach. _You're_ supposed to be here for an _assistant coaching_ position."

"Oh…" The man filed through his papers and pulled out an old email from earlier in the week. "This was sent to me a few days ago. It's clearly labeled the position as a _head_ coaching job…"

Makarov's eye let off a twitch. "Ahaha…can I ask who sent you that email?"

Saying that, Coach Dreyar probably knew the answer. The man rolled his eyes with the team's level of un-professionalism as he began reading the name. "It says here Lev…"

 _"_ _OH NO! …AH DANG IT!"_ Yelled a girl from out in the hallway. Makarov and the guest coach both looked through the glass window into the hall to find a young and pretty blue-haired girl with a black pant suit on as she sent an entire pile of papers flying everywhere.

She quickly gathered them up and rushed into the room. "I'm soo sorry I'm late! New to the office…hehe."

The man raised an eye brow. "Uh-huh…is your name _Levy McGarden_ by chance?"

"Oh! It is, yes!" Levy smiled and dropped her mound of papers down beside Makarov as she stuck her hand out for a hand shake. "I'm the team's new General Manager!"

The man nearly cracked a laugh. "Y-you? _You're_ the GM? …You're like _20_?"

Levy was taken back. "Um, actually I'm 21…"

Makarov tried to take the conversation. "Aahaha, well as you can see, Ms. Levy McGarden will be your supporting GM here in Magnolia. She's right out of the College of Crocus's School of Administration, and she graduated at the top of her class."

The guest coach finally let out his laugh and shook his head. "Okay…well then _Levy_ are you ready to see my resume for the Head Coach's position?"

Levy sat down and combed a strand of her short blue hair out of her eyes and brushed it behind her ear. "Um, we're hiring for an _assistant coach_ …?"

She would have continued, but the man slid his confirmation email forward.

Levy's face flushed a bright shade of red as the man stood up.

"I'm just going to see myself out… _bunch of morons_." That last part was said under his breath as he walked out of the doorway and left the building.

Makarov let out a quick smile. "Okay, well that was a good bit of fun! Now why don't we go ahead and send the next person in?"

"Y-yea, that sounds good…" Levy started straightening up her hair and reorganizing her notes in a bout of embarrassment.

Makarov laughed. "Ms. McGarden you're allowed to calm down. It's your first time in the field, after all. I imagine you're probably very stressed out over the entire situation."

Levy finally smiled as she released a deep breath. "Oh, thank you Coach Dreyar. It is _such_ a relief to hear you say that!"

Makarov nodded and waved to an assistant outside to send the next guest back. Levy and Makarov then waited patiently as the next guest came to arrive in the door way.

"Excuse me? I'm here for an appointment?"

The two Fairies turned, and Makarov smiled. "Oh you must be a new intern! I think your meeting is down the hall!"

The young girl looked confused. "Um, no I'm here for an interview. I applied for an assistant coach's position?"

Makarov looked speechless as Levy lit up with a smile.

"OH! You must be _Erza Scarlet!_ Come on in!" Levy gestured for the open seat as the guest came in to sit down.

She had beautiful red hair that went passed her shoulders. She was also fairly tall and kept an athletic build as she appeared to be close to Levy's age.

Finally the girl spoke up. "I hope you weren't expecting someone older for the position?"

Makarov smiled. "Eh, we don't appear to be keeping track of that..." He smiled and looked to Levy, who looked happy but embarrassed to be there.

Levy then spoke up. "S-so, you come from Hargeon University! It says you played 4 years for their Women's Varsity Basketball team! They're national champions now!"

Erza smiled at Levy's level of research. "Yes, I actually won MVP in that game."

Makarov tilted his head. "What brings out here, then? I imagine with skills like that you'd probably do well in the WFBA."

Erza smiled. "Ah…let's just say the WFBA doesn't have very good salaries…plus I've always seen myself as more of a mentor than a player anyway."

Makarov smiled and put on his glasses. "Okay then, sounds wonderful! Let's get to the interview!"

* * *

Finally, we now return to downtown Oaktown later that night, where Bora Sinclair is having to watch the Phantom's first playoff game in his large living room back home, because he and his _roommate_ were too busy to renew his season pass and buy tickets for the post season.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Bora kicked his luxurious coffee table forward as he unleashed his anger. "I can't believe they lost on a last second shot!"

Juvia Lockster, his young and very beautiful girlfriend sat back in the kitchen as she tried to finish cooking their evening meal.

 _"_ _Oh no…"_ She says under her worried breath as her pretty blue hair became a tangled mess over the entire course of the night. _"I thought the game would last longer than that."_ She quickly stuffed the meal back in the oven to let it properly heat as Bora stayed sitting on the couch.

"Agh whatever…Juvia Sweetie could you hand me another beer?"

"Umm…yes dear!" Juvia scrambled to find their bottle opener, but remembered Bora had it on the couch. She then pulled out the last of his six-pack as she walked over to the couch.

"Here…I'm really sorry they lost, Sweetie." She truly didn't care for the sport of basketball, but tried to act friendly for the sake of her sorry boyfriend.

"Yea, thanks…man they were so close this year." He reluctantly grabbed the bottle and took a large drink as he then wiped his mouth. "Dinner smells good. It'll be done soon, right?"

Juvia froze with fear as she just put it back in. "Um…well I must say I thought the game was going to last longer…"

Bora sniffed the air and snapped his head upward. "Huh? What, is it not done?"

Juvia looked worried. "I was trying to hold off on finishing it after the game, but I waited too long…I just wanted to try and enjoy a nice meal with you. I didn't want the game to…"

"Hey, hey…" Bora stood up and held her in a tight hug. "It's okay…I mean you could have just told me it wasn't going to be ready. Now you got my hopes up for nothing." He smiled with a joke to try and comfort her.

Juvia smiled back. "Oh…really? W-well I'm still sorry." She began to blush as she held her head down on his chest.

Then, a ringing noise came from Bora's pocket as he released the hug. "Ah, damn, that's probably the office…hold on…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello…? Oh, really? Oh yea…yea…yes I'll…I'll be there in 20 tops!" Bora shook his head as Juvia looked confused.

Once he hung up the phone she put her arms back around his waist. "So who was that sweetie?" She tried sounding romantic because she figured it was a customer or an employee wanting him down by the boat dock, and she didn't want him to leave now that dinner would be ready soon.

Sadly for her, Bora seemed to be in hurry. "Look, I'm sorry, but this is a _big_ customer I've been with all week. We're about to close a deal and get this guy a huge boat. It'll be my biggest commission yet!"

Juvia now stood alone with an unhappy expression. "B-but, will you be back for dinner?"

Bora put his coat on and opened the door. "Probably not babe, so just shove mine in the fridge for me, will ya?" He went to close the door, but saw her face was extra blue from the bad news.

Juvia looked him in the eyes. "Plus you drank during the whole game. Here let me grab a coat and …"

"Aagh I'll be fine. I'm sober as a bird 'cause I stopped drinking at half time." He said with a lie as he clearly drank just minutes before. "…Juvia come on. You're the one who asked me to get more done at work. Remember you want a nice trip next summer?"

Juvia snapped out of it as she faked a smile. "Ah, you're right! I can just put yours in the oven and move it right to the fridge. We can eat together tomorrow, instead!" She then smiled at her boyfriend with two glowing blue eyes.

Bora winked back at her and grinned. "I knew you'd understand. Go ahead and pick the meal for tomorrow, then!" He yelled as he shut the door. "Love you! _Bye!"_

"Oh, w-well I love you…"

 _*SLAM!*_

"…too."

* * *

 **Okay the girls are here!**

 **1.) Mirajane is the dance/cheerleading captain! I wonder who else from FT is on the team...?**

 **2.) Lucy is the owner's daughter, and she's SUCH A DORK! Ah, she's always been my favorite character to write. :)**

 **3.) Levy is a very young GM hungry for action, same goes for Erza who comes in as the new assistant coach.**

 **4.) Finally, Juvia seems to be stuck in a very complicated relationship...there's gotta be more underneath the surface there."**

 **Chapter 4 tomorrow-ish. Maybe. It depends on my work ethic lol. I never mentioned this but I'm usually pretty good at delivering chapters the next day.**


	4. 4 - Night of the Draft Part 1

**Author's note: So the draft was gonna be one chapter, but I wrote it and it came out to like 20 pages on _Microsoft Word_ , lol. So here's the first half of a 2 parter for ya!**

 **This one introduces a personal favorite of mine...**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Four - Night of the Draft: Part 1

* * *

It has now been 2 months since the last chapter. The FBA playoffs quickly ended back in early March, and we are now bearing witness to the new season to come.

The time was roughly 6:00 pm and the location was downtown Magnolia. The local _Fairy Tail Tavern & Grill_ is a hot spot for all the locals to enjoy the nightlife of the seemingly large city of Magnolia, and it also happened to be the best sports bar in the entire city, hence being named after the city's favorite team. No one knew why the original owner ever ended it in "Tail" rather than "Tale", but for some reason the local eyes loved it and it forever became the best place to watch the games…at least _outside_ the South Gate Arena.

Here, a large crowd of Magnolia Fairies fans don their favorite red and white t-shirts and jerseys as the entire country waits for the FBA Draft to fully commence at 8:00 pm. However, while a good section of the bar was being occupied by fanatics, a table off to the side had a rather familiar face to the league of professional basketball.

"Heh, well that head coach didn't lie…these fans _do_ actually care about their town." Jellal Fernandes finds himself sitting alone at a _Fairy Tail_ table with a single pint of dark brown beer, and as he drank his glass, the blue haired athlete pondered this new and exciting move he just accepted.

"Well, I guess Magnolia will be my home, or at least be my home for another year." At 28 years old, Jellal was already half way through his athletic career. Despite his damaged knees he earned the year before he left the league, a powerful shot still kept him in it as a fan favorite and all-star shooting guard. Yet, Jellal spent the last couple of years not on a team, but instead wondering alone in free agency. He spent a good bit of time travelling the country, and in some cases the world. His earlier years as a professional basketball player allowed him to travel without much stress, but after two years off the court he decided he was ready to play ball…that is if the team he chose was well suited for his skills.

Either way, he made a decision. Was it the short but funny head coach who seemed to be the perfect man to work for? Or was it the fact that the young and hungry GM they just hired seemed to be the most honest person he'd ever met in the entire league? He had no idea. All's Jellal knew was that he was ready to pull on the shoes, and play ball for the Fairies in a few month's time.

"Here's a refill, sir…It's on the house, hope that's _okay_." The waitress winked at him as he graciously took the drink. There's no way she recognized him, so it was more than likely simple flattery.

"Thanks…" Jellal nodded and turned back to his table as he looked out the window at the busy downtown streets of Magnolia.

He would have kept his eyes away from the rest of the restaurant, but soon after the doors swung open, revealing a tall and rather muscular fellow with long and spikey black hair who stepped out from the warm streets of spring into the lively yet dark tavern.

"Whoa…is that _Gajeel Redfox_?" Said a random voice form the bar.

"Yea…I heard we just signed him from the _Phantoms_!" Another male fanatic got rather excited as the tiny whispers soon turned into a loud conversation.

"Agh damn it…can't a guy just get a quick drink alone in this town…?" Gajeel rolled his eyes and went to yell back at his adoring fans, but in a quick bit of wits Jellal raised a hand.

"Oh _Mark_ , there you are! I've already got us a table." He waved for a very, _very_ confused Gajeel to sit down across from him.

Gajeel had no idea who Mark was, and he had no idea why the familiar Jellal was trying to get his attention, but as he looked back to the bar, he noticed his pesky little following had decided to lose interest in his presence.

Gajeel smirked and began walking over to the table. "Who the hell is _Mark_?"

Jellal smiled and closed his eyes as he chuckled. "I have no idea." He then stopped the waiter. "Excuse me miss, my friend here would like a drink."

She turned and blushed at his smooth voice, but then broke eye contact as Gajeel's rough voice came in after. "I'll just have what he's havin'."

The waitress smirked and nodded. "Perfect. I'll be right back."

Gajeel took his seat and grinned again. " _Jellal Fernandes_. HA! I'm eatin' with the _Meteor Man_ himself…Man I haven't seen you since my rookie season back in Oaktown."

Jellal grinned from the praise. "I believe you're right. I vaguely remember having 35 points that game, but every time I missed my shot, you were always there to rebound them."

Gajeel tilted his head. "Hey, it's what I do…so it looks like we both fell into this sand pit of a basketball team here in the rust belt of Magnolia."

Jellal took a sip from his glass. "I wouldn't call it that. The coach has heart and the GM seems to have brains. She's also quite young too."

Gajeel thought about it. "GM? Huh, I haven't met her, yet." He leaned back and laid an arm across the back of his lone bench seat. "I was interviewed by ol' Makarov and his new _assistant coach_. Man she sure is young for an FBA coach…easy to look at too."

"I wasn't aware they hired anew assistant coach…and a woman no less?" Jellal pondered. "Hmm…new coaches, new GM, new free agents…?" Jellal said as he gestured to himself and his new friend.

They both looked at the nearest TV as Gajeel finished that thought for his blue haired friend. "Yea…and an all new Draft Day to top it off."

* * *

Now we move across town, where we find a large and prepared _situation room_ of sorts sitting inside the South Gate Gardens Arena in downtown Magnolia, where the main executives and coaching staff for the Magnolia Fairies prepare their notes and phones for the draft of a lifetime.

In the back of the room, Laxus sat with his legs crossed and arms folded as he scowled at every passing face. Mirajane sat beside him sipping on a bottle of water, and instead she had a beaming smile to everyone that walked by.

"Laxus, quit frowning! You're gonna stress everyone out!" Mira said while smacking him on the arm.

He never moved. "Mira, I know this is your first time in the situation room, but you gotta understand…this whole night is gonna be stressful."

Mira now looked worried. "Oh dear, well why's that?"

Laxus began pointing around the room. "These people are all one more bad season away from losing a job. Levy, Erza, they're just the beginning. Ol' Heartfilia loves my grandpa so much he would never have the guts to send him away, but the rest of them…they're all looking at the hot seat this time around."

He then gestured to the very large HD projector screen at the end of the room, which appeared to be broadcasting the live FBA Draft in Crocus with a fixed camera on an empty stage. "Until the commissioner hits that stage we're on the clock with the first pick in the Draft. This won't be easy because the teams with the best players squared off in the college finals…and the best player's team _lost_."

Mira stuck a finger on her lip. "Huh? I don't remember seeing _my brother_ play in the finals…?"

That made Laxus laugh. "Mira, Elfman's okay…but come on, is he really FBA material?"

Mira pouted back. "Excuse me! He looks up to you! You're his favorite player in the league!"

Laxus nodded. "I didn't say I hate the fan club, but sometimes you gotta think with your brain."

Mira rolled her eye. "Okay, so why can't we just draft the best player? Who cares if his team lost?"

Laxus shook his head. "Because half the league either wants him or doesn't. If we pick him, we look like idiots who only choose hot headed players based on rankings…on the other hand he's really good at basketball, and if we trade the pick or pass up on him, then we'll still look like idiots for letting him slip."

Mira giggled and grabbed her man's arm as she leaned into his shoulder. "Hehe! Sounds to me like we should change our name to the _Magnolia Idiots_ then!"

Laxus shook his head and face-palmed with his free hand. "Great…Glad you're listening."

Now, we move to the head of the room, where Coach Makarov and Coach Erza sit with their legs crossed in wait for the hour to pass.

General Manager Levy McGarden paces back and forth with her red glasses on as she reads through her own notes.

Makarov pulled out a flask of alcohol and let out a sigh. "Okay, this thing needs to just start already…I'm getting tired."

Erza on the other hand looked puzzled at the readiness of the team. "Actually if it's okay, I'd like to ask why we're already set up? The Draft isn't set to start for a few hours…shouldn't we be meeting in a conference room to discuss picks?"

Makarov sighed and took a swig from his flack. "This _is_ the conference room…We're here because we're on the clock, and also since we have the #1 draft pick…some people might want to trade us for it."

Erza looked intrigued. "Ah yes, I forgot about the fact that other teams can trade for our picks…we're _not_ expecting to trade it are we?"

Makarov grinned. "That's not my decision to make." He gestured to a very ready Levy who thoroughly review her notes once more.

Makarov then brought Erza in for a whisper. "Miss McGarden was the captain of her college's debate team, and she was the best litigator in the entire School of Administration. Sure she can't run an interview ta boot, but _this_ stuff is what she was born to do…it's actually why we hired her."

Erza smiled. "Ah, I see…I suppose you all wanted a tough-minded GM because some of the others in the league are a bit rough…?"

Makarov never wanted to answer that as a video conference call came into view.

Levy rolled her eyes. "Okay, guess we can't avoid the poachers forever. See who it is…"

One of the media interns yelled out with confusion. "Um, Ms McGarden…it's coming in from Crocus, but _not_ from the site of the Draft."

Everyone's heads snapped as Makarov whispered under his breath. " _Tartaros_ …?"

Then, the video call came in revealing a rather young faced man with long black hair tied in a long bushy pony tail behind his head. He had on a very expensive black suit and he leaned back against a table behind him as his hands were crossed in front of his chest. Finally, 4 _very large_ and very shiny golden rings were seen around his exposed right hand as he looked to the camera with a sly grin and evil eyes.

"Ah, I see the _Fairies_ are scurrying about the Garden…" The man said with a silky smooth yet eerie voice and two very calculating eyes.

Makarov tensed up. " _Mard Geer_ …what the hell do you want?"

The man on the giant screen laughed as he stuck out his right pinkie, which was fit with the shiniest golden ring. "Well, the FBA Draft is the official symbol that leads us into the next season. I just wanted to use the hour before the draft to remind people _who_ came out on top last year. Also my new championship ring came in. You like it don't you?"

Makarov spat on the floor. "Why the hell do I care about your obnoxious jewelry?" He kept eye contact with the young man from Tartarus as he pulled a chain from around his neck, and on the end were 6 totally faded golden rings with different shiny and colorful stones centered in each one.

 _"_ _Wow…"_ Erza thought to herself. _"I had forgotten Makarov use to play in the league back in his youth. SIX championship rings..."_

Mard Geer clapped and howled. "HA! What novelty antiques you have there! What are those roughly 40, _50_ years old? Tell me were those all from the _Central Basketball League_ , or the _Basketball Confederation of Fiore_?"

He was of course referring to a very old merger that formed the current FBA today, because Makarov hadn't played on a court since before that time.

"Look." The elder coach finally spat out. "I already told you. We aren't interested in…"

Mard Geer held up a finger. "Ah! I'm not talking to the coach on this one…I'm talking to…"

Levy doubled Makarov's promise as she held her red glasses down. "I'm sorry I was too busy planning my team's draft order. Was Coach Dreyar's argument not good enough?"

Mard Geer finally returned his eyes to Makarov. "Well, I see the Fairies have finally found a Manager with a spine! And what a youthful beauty this one is…tell me Ms. McGarden… _who_ am I, and _what_ am I asking you for?"

Levy took off her glasses. "You're _Mard Geer_ , Owner and General Manager of the _Tartaros Devils_. You also want the 1st overall pick. Though I can't imagine why?"

Makarov looked to Erza, but kept his voice down low. "Nor can I. Mard's foreign, and so are all his players. He always trades the Tartaros draft picks as an insult to the rest of us."

The black haired man smiled again. "Aha…you actually brought a brain into Magnolia as well. I'm having fun already. It's a shame our teams don't play each other in the regular season this coming year…I was looking forward to seeing the new troops you've assembled."

Levy was done. "Okay, go ahead and shut him off before…"

"Hold on." He said with a halt. "I have an offer, and league policy forces you to hear me out. Or…are you not as well versed as I thought?"

Erza returned to her inner thoughts. _"How bad do they want the first pick? Who could they be after?"_

Mard Geer then laid his offer out on the table. "Our first round picks…"

"BAHAHAHAHA!" Now the alcohol had gotten to Makarov's head. "You fools always get the end of the round picks! Why would we want…?"

Mard wasn't done. "…for the next _10 years_."

"10 years!?" Erza spoke up. "Why would he give away that many picks? Who does he want?"

Geer never answered Erza and kept his eyes on the young and inexperienced Levy instead. "Tell me, if you pass on this deal the media will surely find out. What's say you don't change your record...you'd throw away a decade of two first round draft picks, at the _bare minimum_ , just to gamble on some little player from Acalypha?"

Levy finally cracked a smile. "Who says we're going for an _Acalypha_ player?"

She called Mard out on who he wanted. He raised an eye brow with wide eyes, but before he could respond, Levy signaled to her crew. "Okay, I heard your offer and declined. Now if you don't mind I have a franchise to fix."

Mard Geer glared at the screen with two very dark and foreboding eyes.

"So be it… _Fairy_."

The camera shut off, and right then the entire room erupted in a roar of cheers.

Levy and Erza nearly had a heart attack as Makarov had to explain. "BAHAHA! Our old GMs would have _always_ folded! Oh good stuff! With you at the helm will win the league in no time!"

* * *

After a very exciting pre-draft night in Magnolia we now find ourselves in the Capital City of Crocus. Fiore's largest city and the major market for all things entertainment. The _Crocus Garden's Hotel & Casino_ played hosts to the FBA Draft every year, and it was here that many young collegiate prospects gathered to either hear the greatest or worst news of their lives.

Here, an all-black limo rolls up to the main entrance and the back doors swing open. Soon after, Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster emerge from the back seats wearing two very expensive black tuxedos as swarms of sports and media cameras circle them like buzzards on a carcass.

The handsome Natsu howled and smiled a great big grin. "Hehe! Look at this! We haven't even been drafted yet and we're already kings in this league!"

His black haired friend rolled his eyes while he smiled and waved for the cameras. "Natsu shut up. Who knows, there's a chance we may not get drafted…" Gray spoke with half his heart. Truth be told, everyone in the nation knew Natsu Dragneel was going to be drafted first over all. He offered the best overall stats in the league for the worst FBA team in the last 5 years. But what about _Sting Eucliffe_? What about _Rogue Chenney_? The star shooting guard _Hibiki Lates_ from the Clover Institute of Technology, and even the power house center _Elfman Strauss_ from the heart of Magnolia College.

More importantly, what about himself? _Gray Fullbuster_? Was he going to get drafted? Or after two rounds of only 32 picks, would he manage to end up beside the majority of college prospects rejected from the FBA.

He didn't have time to think about it. Either way, Gray was at least gonna see his best friend make it to the future of his dreams. "Come on, we gotta get inside."

Natsu smiled and waved to the last of the cameras. "Okay! Sounds good to me!"

Then the two wannabe all-stars opened up the doors to the luxurious Crocus Gardens Hotel & Casino to let the greatest night of their lives unfold. As they left a side walk filled with paparazzi outside, they arrived into the main lobby with even more in wait.

Natsu's eyes lit up with stars as he put his arm around Gray for the photos. "Oh man! I think we _will_ be kings of the league after all!"

Gray finally smiled with all of Natu's excess cheery attitude. "Yea? Maybe you're right."

They both waved their hands as a man in a blue uniform came through the crowd. "Excuse me Mr Dragneel, Mr Fullbuster, the seating area is back this way." The usher lead them through a larger crowd of creaming fans and camera lights all flashing around as they poured out into the ball room.

There were seats everywhere, but down near the stage there appeared to be specific seating for FBA prospects to sit with their families, agents, and any other close friends as they waited for their dreams to come true.

Natsu and Gray looked happy with the sight until thy heard a familiar voice shouting from the side.

"Oh man! Looks like the _Acalypha All-star_ finally found his way to the Draft." Said a very cocky Sting Eucliffe dressed in an all-white tuxedo with a dark purple tie and vest underneath.

Beside him was his close friend and former Onibas teammate Rogue Chenney, who wore an-all black suit with dark green tie underneath.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Oh, hey it's Natsu's biggest fan. Oh and Rogue's here too."

Sting scoffed at Gray's attempt to mock him. "Oh Gray you actually showed up? I figured you already knew you weren't gonna be drafted…so I just assumed you were gonna stay home and watch it on TV with the other hungry saps." He grinned and waited for Gray to make a move.

Gray would have stepped up, but Natsu beat him to the punch. "If you've got something to prove, why don't you just wait til the season starts. I'm dyin' to know what team is stupid enough to pick you as their first draft pick."

Sting stepped forward and looked Natsu back in the eyes. "Yea? I'll take you up once the little _Pixies_ ruin your career like they have with the last 10 point guards they've drafted."

He then walked away but made sure to hit Natsu in the shoulder as he passed.

Rogue never said a word and followed Sting as Natsu held his head back. "Man, that creepy Rogue never says anything?"

Gray wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Natsu let me fight my own battles, will ya?"

Natsu then turned on a smile. "No way. We're still teammates until we get drafted...and who knows? Maybe we'll end up in the same colors after all!"

* * *

 **Ah! Everyone keeps commenting "Jude is so mean to Lucy," or "Bora seems cruel." Hell I even made Sting an extra D-bag in this one...Put all of them aside, I think you guys can now see the _real villain_ of the story. **

**God if the NBA had a Bill Belichick he would look like a saint compared to Mard Geer.**

 **Part 2 of the Draft tomorrow. Let's go Natsu and Gray!**


	5. 5 - Night of the Draft Part 2

**Author's Note: Part 2! Okay, I think it's time we cross a few more paths in this one...**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Five - The Night of the Draft Part 2

* * *

Now, Natsu, Gray and the other prospects all wondered into the main hall to find their respective tables, and as they do, the two former _Businessmen of Acalypha_ tried finding their name tags.

"Man, I can't find our seats anywhere…?" Natsu looked around with piercing eyes until he saw a tiny familiar face ruining right for him.

 _"_ _NATSU!"_

"Whoa! _Wendy_?" Natsu and Gray had come straight from college and never thought about seeing their own families at the draft. Either way, Natsu's 14 year old sister Wendy came running in with a bright smile and two bright blue pigtails as she gave her older brother a great big hug.

"I haven't seen you since Christmas, Natsu!" She said with a glowing smile.

"No kidding!" He graciously accepted her hug back. "Did _Aunt P_ come out with ya?"

Wendy shook her head. "No, but she paid for my flight. Crocus is so big! I've always wanted to visit!"

Natsu and Wendy had lived without parents for the last seven years. When they were younger, a drunk driver swerved into their car on a patch of ice on the way home from a late night anniversary dinner.

Either way, the two siblings had a tough time when they were younger. Luckily their helpful but stern aunt _Porlyusca Dragneel_ decided to foster them, and raised them into the wonderful young adults they are now.

Still, Natsu was never comfortable with his sister travelling alone. "Wait, did you fly out all by yourself?"

"HA! There's no way I'd let that little girl fly out here alone!"

Natsu and Gray looked up and Wendy smiled as three adults stood up from the table up ahead.

Sitting there were Gray's parents _Silver and Mika_ , and the final guest (and man who made the previous remark) was their loyal College coach from Acalypha, _Gildarts Clive_.

"Mom? Dad? Even the _Geezer_ showed up!" Gray let an authentic smile actually take over his face as his parents came over to hug him.

Silver embraced his son, but looked to Natsu and winked. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you boys were ready for the after party. I didn't what you guys going in unprepared so I…"

Mika Fullbuster nudged her husband in the stomach as she wrapped Natsu in a tight hug. "Oooo! I am so proud of both of you!"

Natsu smiled as he embraced his second family. "Thanks Mika. Man, I can't wait for this stuff to get started now!" Natsu then took a seat with Wendy and Gildarts as Gray did the same with Silver and Mika.

Then, the lights fell and the room went dim. As the crowd waited in anticipation the spotlights hit the stage revealing a very tall and muscular man dressed in an all grey suit. Fans booed and occasionally cheered as the man came over to the mic, and once he was stationed the room went quiet.

"Good Evening and Welcome to the 50th annual _Fiore Basketball Association_ Draft Night! If any of you were wondering, I am _Commissioner Arcadios_ of the FBA." He had to wait for the awkward crowd to finish booing and yelling before he could carry on.

"As we enter into the league's 50th year of play, we would like to honor all those who have represented this fare league with a memorial…"

"Boring…" Natsu said as he spun around an empty glass of beer. "Why can't we all just get picked and get the hell out of here?"

Gildarts laughed. "Natsu it's never that simple with these jokers. Why do you think I've never gone into coaching the pros?"

Natsu scratched his chin. "I dunno, cause you're not very good?"

Wendy covered her mouth and Gildarts combed a hand through his hair. "Ahaha…funny. But seriously look at all this crap. It's useless."

Wendy smiled as she beamed at all the exciting sights from around the room. "I don't know I kind of like it! There's so much energy in here!"

Natsu agreed with his younger sister. "No kidding! But this isn't even half the energy yet!"

Wendy smiled but then looked to the stage. "Huh, well that's really weird..."

Natsu and Gildarts followed her finger as just behind Commissioner Arcadios's head, you could see a tiny black object emerging from the red curtain in the background.

Gildarts scratched his head. "Man, what idiot reporter is that desperate to stick his recorder right on the opening commencement?"

Natsu smiled and laugh as he smacked his leg in amusement. "BAHAHA! I dunno, but I like his style!"

* * *

Behind the curtain, the small black object and the hand it was attached to were suddenly yanked back into the back stage area.

Lucy Heartfilia yelled as she felt two hands grabbing her tiny yet curvaceous waist. "WHOAAA! THIS IS _TOTALLY_ SEXUAL HARASSMENT!"

She cried in confusion until she turned to see her stern father and his even sterner assistant _Caprico_ staring right back at her.

"Oh…daddy were you looking for _me_?" Lucy batted her beautiful eyelashes and held the recorder behind her back as her father wasn't falling for it.

"Lucy. I told you to knock it off with the recorder…" Jude flatly warned his daughter without saying another word.

"Yea…I heard you the first time…" Lucy sighed and held her head down as she stuffed the black device back into her tiny hand bag.

Jude rolled his eyes, and Capricorn straightened up his wrist cuffs as the angry FBA owner carried on. "Honestly you promised me you wouldn't misbehave at the draft tonight. Now I'm here scolding you backstage with half the league watching and…"

"Well, if it isn't the Heartfilias of Magnolia!" Said an eerily familiar voice from the other side of the back stage area.

Jude raised an eyebrow, and Lucy turned to plant herself beside her much taller father as the dark and mysterious _Mard Geer_ wondered over into their space.

He appeared to be wearing a completely different black suit from before with an even different tie, but either way it looked equally as expensive.

"Mard." Jude held his stern expression right on his face. "I figured you would be back at the _Plutogrim Coliseum_ with you draft team."

Mard Geer smiled and crossed his arms. "Ah, well as one owner to another I can't let my little draftees enter into the _franchise of champions_ without a look at their _inspiration_ first…and I see you decided to bring your lovely _daughter_ to the ceremony this year."

Mard Geer had no interest in the 17 year old girl, but he decided to put on the act for intimidation purposes. "From what I've heard that's quit the little _sports blog_ you have running online…"

The overly pretty blonde daughter of the Heartfilia family rolled her eyes and stood by her father. She then let a grin take her face. "Oh you saw it? I just made an update on how our new, _rookie GM_ passed you up on the offer of a lifetime."

Jude had no idea how Lucy knew that information, but for once her sleuthing and reporting actually made him smile.

Mard on the other hand let out a fake smirk. "Ha. I see that's quit the little mouth you have as well…any who I suppose this is good bye. I have to chat with the commissioner once he's back stage. He mentioned doing a documentary on our franchise this summer. Something about our _4 straight_ championships if I remember correctly…?" He waved his gilded hand of 4 rings as he turned to leave.

Lucy turned to her father and raised an eyebrow as she waited for his response. Jude's face turned back into a frown. "If you think I'm okay with your journalism idea because of _that_ , you still have some more editing to do."

Lucy let out a growl until she heard the commissioner's voice surrounded by a chorus of cheers.

"And here we go. Let the 50th draft of the FBA begin! The _Magnolia Fairies_ are officially on the clock!"

Despite the loud and obnoxious crowd, Commissioner Arcadios didn't even have time to leave the stage as a very quick letter hit his hands.

"Oh, well it seems like their draft team is really ready for action…With the first pick in the X791 FBA Draft, the Magnolia Fairies select… _Natsu Dragneel!_ Point Guard from the Acalyipha School of Business!"

The entire auditorium erupted with cheers, and cameras flashed everywhere as Natsu stood with two fists raised to the air.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Natsu howled at the top of his voice with Wendy around his waist and Gildarts high fiving him from the side.

Lucy smiled as she heard the crowd, and forgot about her lecturing father to stick her eye back out on stage.

"Oh I love this part!" Lucy always enjoyed watching the future FBA stars light up with their moment of glory as she waited for this one to unfold, but could only watch it from back home in years past. Yet, as soon as Natsu quit hugging Gray, he began walking toward the stage.

Immediately Lucy finally got a good look at his face…his very _handsome_ face.

"Oh w-wow…he acts a little different from all the other players I've seen." She closed the curtains with a stomach full of butterflies as her cheeks filled with red. This was her first time at the FBA draft, and although she had watched them all on TV, she had never seen a kid _that_ excited about being drafted before.

Jude noticed his daughter's now uneasy attitude. "Hmph. I'm going to greet our newest player. Wait back here while I'm gone…" He then turned away and let his assistant Caprico follow him. Lucy never paid attention to his exit as her mind stayed solidified on Natsu.

"He's so unconventional…it would be amazing for my blog if I could get a quick interview!" And so, she rushed to the end of the stage and narrowly beat her father to the punch.

 _~Meanwhile~_

"Hehe! That Arcadios guy was actually pretty nice!" Natsu said as he held his brand new scarlet and white Fairy jersey with #00's on the front and back tightly in his hands. He then came onto the back stage scene where a wealth of news reporters were waiting for his first words as an FBA prospect.

"AGH! DANG IT!" Lucy was at the back of that pile as she tried to work her way upfront, yet as she pushed through the crowd, she accidentally got _too_ ambitious. Tripping over her high heels, Lucy fell forward as two reporters moved out from in front of her, and watched her hit the grownd and her tiny black recorder slide over the floor…right into Natsu's shoes.

"Oh no way!" Natsu immediately smiled as he picked up the device. "HAHA! THIS IS FROM THE GUY WHO STUCK HIS HAND OUT DURING THE _COMISH'S_ SPEECH!" He waved it around the very confused audience with a bright grin. "I'm _definitely_ interviewing with this guy, first!"

He waited as no one answered, and right then the young blonde slowly stood up.

"Um…that's mine…hehe."

"OH… _really_?" Natsu asked with confusion in is voice. "You're _waaay_ younger than all the other reporters I've seen!"

"Ah…thanks?" Lucy sounded offended from that comment, but stopped as Natsu carried on and got really close to her face.

"Whoa, you're eyes are big too! I like 'em! Way prettier than all the other guys' in the business! Hehe."

"A-ah…well gee thanks again…" Lucy had snuck down to the side lines of many different Fairies games to interview players, and Natsu was certainly the _first_ to comment on her _eyes_ of all features.

In complete honesty Lucy was a knockout, and all the younger players in the league tried dating her at some point or another. However, her very rich father never liked that idea and worked as one of the reasons Magnolia always had a hard time acquiring younger talent.

Tonight, she actually had on a very slim powder blue dress that made her look like a movie star, but even still, the red on her cheeks was slowly creeping down her neck as the handsomely trim but muscular athlete smiled back at her.

"Y-you know what?" Lucy turned and parted the crowd of very confused reporters. "You're probably too busy to do this sort of thing…I can get an interview another time…"

"WAIT HOLD ON!" Natsu cried back. "What makes ya say I'll see you again?"

Lucy shook her head with embarrassment now that she remembered he was coming to her home town of all the places in the world. "Oh trust me…we'll see each other again..."

* * *

Now, we find Gray Fullbuster sitting in the main hall with his parents, Wendy Dragneel, and his former coach Gildarts.

"Heh, I told him he'd be drafted first." Gray smiled and raised a glass of beer in the air all for his best friend's moment.

Silver mimicked his son, but then nudged him in the arm. "Yea? Well I'd finish that drink if I were you. I bet you'll be right after him…"

"With the second pick in the FBA Draft, the _Cerberuses of Quattro_ have decided to trade their pick to the _Saber City Tigers_ …and with the second pick in the FBA Draft, Saber City selects _Sting Eucliffe!_ Point Guard from Onibas University!"

The crowd roared with applause as the cocky blonde Point Guard took the stage with his hands in the air.

Silver let out a tiny smile and patted his son on the back. "Hehe…on second thought just forget what I said, son."

Gray cracked a smile and rolled his eyes. "Dad, you really didn't think I would be drafted in the first round did yo…?"

"Well we're on a roll here in Crocus!" Arcadios rang out over the intercom. "With the third pick, The Acalypha Pegasus team has decided to trade their pick to…the _Magnolia Fairies_?"

The crowd erupted with sounds of confusion as they all pondered at the thought of a Fairies team that was actually acting aggressive at an FBA Draft for once. Even Arcadios whispered underneath his breath. " _Well, it looks like something fixed their broken machine_ …Any way!"

He rang out over the mic once more for the call. "With the third pick in the draft, the Magnolia Fairies now select… _Gray Fullbuster!_ Small Forward from Acalypha School of Business!"

The small crowd of supporting Fairies fans nearly jumped out of their seats at the sound of the Fairies getting two picks in the first three selections. Gray gave his friends and family a great big hug and then waved directly to the sea of red shirts.

A small group of female fans stood at the front of the group. "Oh my god he is _waaay_ hotter in person!"

Her friend nodded rapidly. "I know! His hair looks _sooo_ amazing! I never knew he was that tall!"

Gray rolled his eyes and walked through the aisle of seats as everyone clapped for him to appear on stage. As he approached the podium, Commissioner Arcadios smiled and handed him a blank Fairies' jersey like Natsu's, and firmly he shook his hand.

"Welcome to the FBA, son." He then put his arm around him and smiled for the cameras.

Gray never even responded because he was so blown away by all the people in the audience. He gave the auditorium one last wave of good bye before wondering back stage. As he did, he noticed a large crowd of paparazzi following Sting back to the next room, but even so there were still a fair bit of cameras on him as he came back too.

"Okay! I think we should give the new prospect a warmer welcome into the FBA." Said a very deep and familiar voice as he waved away the cameras.

Gray looked over to find a taller man with slick purple hair and an all-black suit walking over towards him with a plastic pass around his neck. Following him was another guest with a matching pass, except she was a little shorter and had deep blue eyes and wavy curls of blue hair as she kept her eyes low to the floor.

The familiar businessman stuck his hand out for a shake. "The name's _Bora Sinclair._ I'm one of the All-access FBA fans, and I've recently relocated to Magnolia to follow their team's rise to stardom." He smiled referring to his own relocation after Gajeel moved out of Oaktown.

"I have a few other favorites currently on the Fairies, but I liked you style back in college. You led the nation in free throw attempts. That shows you have no fear going under the rim."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Uh…thanks? I try to ya know, _play the game_."

Bora laughed. "Ah, talented and funny…" He then turned to Juvia. "Say hello to the new member of Magnolia, Dear."

Juvia had been distracted by all the cameras to notice the new conversation, but once Bora caught her attention she never looked away. Actually, Bora _wasn't_ the one who caught her attention at all.

He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Short but messy black hair that accentuated his handsome face. His expensive suit brought out his athletic build, and he was also slightly taller than her own boyfriend which made Juvia tense up by his side.

"O-oh…h-hello. I'm J-Juvia." She said with rosy cheeks and her arms behind her back.

Gray was now starting to grow uncomfortable. "Okay, you guys seem nice, but you're starting to freak me out a bit…"

Juvia understood. "Right! You probably want to hang out with you athlete friends! Come on sweetie lets quickly get out of his way and…" She tried dragging Bora away from the awkward conversation until Gray yelled back

"Hey! I didn't mean it like that! I-I'll keep an eye out for you two at Magnolia games I guess...!"

Juvia let out a forced smile, but quickly hid it as Bora grinned back at Gray.

"Hey! Sounds great!" He then looked to his girlfriend. "Babe, what's wrong? It's not like he was the first FBA player you've ever met?"

Juvia had no idea how to answer that. _"Oh I'm sorry, he's just the_ _best looking_ _one I've ever seen."_ Is what she wanted to say.

"Haha, I-I guess I just froze up because Magnolia has two new all-star rookies…not to mention you're favorite Gajeel." She then had a bright idea as she latched herself onto Bora's arm.

"You remember how I said you should only get _one_ season pass this year? Just to save money?"

Bora nodded. "Yea, you said you had no idea why I could jump teams so easily. Then you told me to cancel yours."

Juvia let a tiny grin cross her face. "Well all this Fairy excitement has gotten to me. How about we get _two_ instead…but make sure they're in the front row like we had in Oaktown, okay."

Bora had no idea why his girlfriend was all of a sudden into basketball, but he really didn't care. "OKAY! Anything for my sweet blue angel!"

He put his arm around her waist and walked her through the off stage exit to join the other fans at the hotel bar.

* * *

 **Oh I hope Lucy becomes a reporter...she'd be so bad at it haha (jk I have more faith in her than that...as long as she doesn't face anymore distractions)**

 **Gray got drafted too! Even though he didn't expect it it came true! Then he met Juvia...poor poor Juvia.**

 **Chapter 6 next. I like these path crossing scenes. More Up next!**


	6. 6 - So Now What?

**Author's Note: Okay so the two main bros have been drafted...so now what?**

 **I forgot to mention I have a tiny little survey on my page if anyone wants to fill it out. It's pretty simple, and just asks how you read stories on this website. Feel Free to answer it!**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Six - So _Now_ What?

* * *

And so, after two rounds and 64 college athletes, the 32 teams in the FBA had finished the X791 Draft in record time. It appears that everyone in this group already had a plan as to who they were going to get. Now, we find ourselves sitting at a round table discussion for FBA experts as the Draft party finishes up behind them.

"Well, we sure did see a lot of young talent grace the stage tonight. I don't think I've ever seen an FBA draft with so much athletic praise!" Chapati Lola yelled into the camera as he began his discussion on the draft with his fellow analysts. "Rabian, we'll start with you. Who do you believe came out on top?"

The little eccentric Rabian lit up with joy as soon as he heard his name. "Oh well I personally believe the _Saber City Tigers_ made out like bandits. After all they got two all-stars from my home town Onibus University. Sting and Rogue both landing on the same team surely impressed the crowd and fans back home. They'll be quite the dramatic due for the season to come!"

Jason, one of the other rowdy commentators, yelled in response. "OH YEA! Saber City's roster is looking totally cool with those two additions! They may even land a another spot in the finals!"

Chapati then turned to the middle of the table. "Alright Yajima, you once played for 6 basketball championships in the early days of professional leagues. Are you gonna side with your old school Fairies?"

Yajima laughed. "Why _wouldn't_ I? They got 3 players in the first round! Not only did they manage to take 2 of the top 3 selections, but then they traded their second round pick and next year's first for a lower 1st rounder. Natsu, Gray, and even _Elfman Strauss_ out of Magnolia will surely help those boys back in Fairy Town shine."

Rabian pondered that thought. "Yes, I liked their dramatic entry into getting a 3rd first round pick, but was it worth it to get rid of their first round pick for next year? After all if the Fairies find themselves at the bottom of the barrel again, they'll certainly want that pick!"

Although Rabian smiled during his explanation, it didn't help Yajima from wanting to smack him. "Yea? Well let's just see how they finish without all the fortune telling…"

"Well that will do it for us here in Crocus!" Chapati signed off before things grew too awkward. "Join us in an hour back in studio to watch our pre-season journey unfold!"

* * *

Now, we relocate to the back stage area where each and every selected player from the draft was directed to a certain room that were each designated to all 32 franchises. Natsu found a basketball in the corner and sat down on a long couch as he tossed it to himself through the air.

"Okay, this is getting really boring." He moaned. "I wanna get outta here and move on to Magnolia."

Gray laughed. "Relax. We'll get there when we get there." He would have said more, but was too busy looking through his phone.

Gray had over 50 text messages from friends and family members once he opened it up his phone, and each one made him smile. **"Congrats! I'm soo proud of you!"** from a distant aunt, **"Now I totally need your autograph! ;)"** from a fellow (female) classmate. Even Haru, Ellie, and several other former teammates sent him and Natsu messages as soon as they were drafted.

 **"** **Win the league for me, man! Acalypha 4Life"** Said a now fully employed Haru.

 **"** **PLEASE Tell Natsu to answer his phone! CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU! :D"** Ellie sent in all her cheer.

All the support made Gray both excited and confused. Once he was in the big leagues, would he ever find time to hang out with his old friends, or would he even have time to enjoy the little things in life at all?

These questions would all be answered later as the door to their room opened up, revealing a very tall and muscular boy with all-white hair and a white tux with black undershirt. He held an XL Fairy jersey and a worried face as he entered the room.

"Oh man! I was soo worried you guys left without me!" He said with breaths between each word.

"Hey! You must be Elfman!" Natsu threw the ball away and stood up to give him a fist pound. "I'm Natsu, and this loser here is Gray."

"Thanks, moron." Gray rolled his eyes and held his own fist out. "You played for Magnolia College, didn't you? They made it pretty far this year."

Elfman smiled. "Yea, we lost in the Elite 8. Lousy team from Crocus got us in the end. But hey forget me, you guys almost won the whole thing!" He slammed his fist into both of their hands. "I was really rootin' for you guys to smear Sting's face into the ground. He's so nasty to small school players."

In truth, Magnolia and Onibas were evenly matched in College Basketball, and the schools were equally sized overall. However, the Pioneers of Onibas always found a way to defeat the Magnolia College Dragons every year in their rivalry game.

Elfman walked passed his two new teammates and sighed as he hit the couch. "So, I get drafted to Magnolia of all places."

Natsu grinned. "Yea that's actually pretty cool for ya! You won't even have to move, hehe!"

Elfman smiled. "Yea I guess you're right…it's just funny because my sisters are cheerleaders for the Fairies. My older one Mira is actually the captain of their dance troupe."

Gray sat up. "Dude, your sisters are professional cheerleaders!?"

Elfman laid his head back, but left one eye opened as he grinned. "Yea, but no funny business. They're both dating current players."

Natsu howled. "HA! Nah man, I don't need distractions like that when I'm playin' ball. All's I need is a fresh court to play ball, and a fun group of fans to help cheer me on!"

Elfman shook his head. "Well, good luck ignoring it. Every girl related to the team is good looking. All the cheerleaders, plus the new GM an assistant coach they just hired are pretty hot too. Hell even the owner has a good looking daughter."

Gray looked okay with that. "Haha, man this sounds like a pretty decent team after all."

Natsu stood up and went to grab the basketball. "Yea? Well like I said I don't care how hot the cheerleaders are, or hell the owner's daughter can be a complete dime for all I care, I'm just here ta…" He then stopped talking as he noticed Elfman and Gray were both sitting straight up.

He also felt the presence of someone standing straight behind him.

"Well, I'm glad you're so determined to keep all distractions at bay _Mr. Dragneel_ …

Natsu slowly turned to see a tall blonde man with a neatly trimmed mustache looking down at him with loathing eyes.

Jude Heartfilia kept up his glare as he continued. "But please, remind me to keep you to your word, or I'll make sure that _dime_ comes out of your first pay-check."

"Hehe…" The ornery point guard whispered. "…You must be the Heartfilia guy?"

Jude spoke up after Natsu began shaking with fear. "Yes, and I was supposed to meet you after you came off stage."

Natsu cooled down as he remembered his humorous moment from before. "Oh yea! Sorry about that one. I got stopped by a really big crowd of cameras…not to mention this really _ditsy reporter_. I'm not sure, but that poor girl sorta seemed like she was having a hard time…?"

Jude rolled his eyes as he failed to put the obvious two and two together. "Well whoever these reporters are will no longer be your concern." He then redirected himself to the entire trio. "Gentlemen, I would like to personally welcome you to the _Magnolia City Fairies Basketball Team_."

Natsu, Gray and Elfman all stood together and smiled with pride. "Thank you sir!"

Jude laughed at their rushed obedience. "Ha, I can already see you three will fit in nicely…correct me if I'm wrong, but I was told one of you has a couple of sisters in the franchise already?"

Elfman slowly stepped forward. "Yea, I'm the brother of some of your team's cheerlead…"

Jude waved his hand as he took a brief case from his pale assistant. "Come now, you don't think I know the names of all my employees? Mirajane and Lisanna are two of my most admired Fairies. They're both delightful girls, and they speak highly of you as well."

Elfman hearing Jude praise his family made him smile. "Well thank you sir. They'd both be happy to hear you say that."

Jude nodded. "Yes, well to make sure my team policy is clear, I want a personal meeting with each one of you once we're all in Magnolia. Normally, if I'm ever inside the stadium, I carry an open door policy. However, tonight I intend to stay an extra night here in Crocus. I have a meeting tomorrow morning with a few chairs at my former college." He then then looked to the ground and smiled. "My daughter is interested in attending their school of business…"

Gray admired his new boss's familial warmth. "Well that sounds pretty cool. Not every day you see a kid wanna grow up to be like their parents."

Jude obliviously smiled again and held his hand over his heart. "Yes, well I love her very dearly…now, unfortunately this means I will not be taking you back to Magnolia on my private jet. Which is why I've arrange _Caprico_ to escort you to the Crocus International Airport for a 1st Class trip to your new home."

All three boys smiled, but Natsu walked up and nudged Jude in the side. "Well as long as we're not takin' those _Heartfilia Airlines_. I hear they're quite the wallet poachers."

Jude raised an eyebrow. "Mhmm…" Jude had an easy time accepting Gray and Elfman, but for some reason he couldn't cross the bridge with this Natsu character. "Well you can save the jokes for our private meeting, Mr. Dragneel." He then turned for the door. "Very well. I'll see you all back at Magnolia in two days' time"

He quickly turned and left for his new destination as Caprico held the door open for the other three.

Gray walked first but did so with caution. "Sooo, are we gonna get our bags from our hotels or…?"

The stern man with a bald head and think sunglasses never moved his mouth a single inch as the three new Fairies looked confused.

Natsu started to chuckle. "Man, this guy has _mimes_ too?! I love Papa Jude already!"

He then passed Gray and turned to the left side of the hall way. Elfman looked to Gray as he observed his strange new pink haired teammate. "Does he even know where we're going?"

Gray shook his head. "Man, you've known him for like 5 minutes now…what do you think?"

* * *

Now we arrive to the next day, were our two drinking buddies from last night are arriving extra early into their next meeting with the new Fairies staff. The two pro athletes walked through the all-white hallways of the South Gate Garden Arena as Gajeel groaned and held his hand over his head. "Man, I totally forgot about this dumb extension meeting…you have any idea what it's for?"

Jellal sighed. "I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as you…but I think we can both agree last night lasted a little longer than it should have…"

As the FBA draft carried on, Jellal and Gajeel stuffed away their shyness and joined the rowdy fans at the Fairy Tail bar for some conversations. Once the league started with the draft selections however, the entire party scene erupted with cheers and beers, and after the first 5 or so picks neither of them really remembered the rest of the night.

And so, they arrive today at one of the all-glass conference rooms to finish up their paperwork for their transfers into the Fairies locker room. As they sat in wait however, two employees came around the corner.

Once they entered, Jellal and Gajeel got a good look at the two newest faces to the franchise, who both sat down across for the two newest players.

The first spoke up. "Well Jellal we've already met, but _Gajeel_ is it? I'm the team GM Levy McGarden!" She sat down with her partner and held her hand out across the table.

Gajeel held his head back. "You look like you could be my little sister or something."

Levy held her head down. "Yes…I'm very young. People here often like to remind me of that fact."

Gajeel shrugged and accepted her friendly hand shake, which made Levy smile with joy. She then carried on. "Okay, and unfortunately Coach Makarov had a call with another employee, but either way Jellal, I wanted to introduce you to our new assistant coach while I had the chance. This is…"

"…Erza. My name is Erza." The usually quiet red-head narrowed her vision and kept both arms firmly crossed over her chest.

"…" Jellal remained rather silent as well. He was taken away by her angry reaction, but even then he also seemed to recognize the new assistant coach, pretty red hair in all.

"Erza...i-it's nice to see you."

Erza rolled her eyes. "Oh, well I'm glad it's nice..." She let her eyes wonder around his very handsome face, and then landed right on his brightly decorated right eye. "That's quite the _tattoo_ you have as well…I don't remember seeing you with it last time we met."

Jellal let out a very long sigh. "Agh, well I actually got it from...never mind."

Erza felt no need to respond, and while Levy held her eyes wide open with fear, the other present FBA player sat there with an angry expression of his own.

Then Gajeel finally spoke up. "Okay… Can I just get my contract signed and get the hell outta here?"

Jellal finally broke eye contact with the top of the table and looked to Levy. "Y-yes. I'm afraid I need to finish up mine as well."

Levy went to speak, but Erza took the brief case and pulled out both of their papers.

"Well, we wouldn't want you two to be _inconvenienced_ , now would we?" She then slowly slid their contracts in front of both the new athletes and passed them pens. "Here...don't let us waste your time."

Levy tried to hold in her confusion before speaking up. "Hehe, would you two excuse us for a moment? We need to make copies of another form for you all to sign." The young GM then grabbed her brief case and snapped at Erza to follow her out the door.

As soon as they left Gajeel dropped his pen and turned to Gajeel. "…What the hell was that?"

Jellal sank lower in his chair "I'd rather not talk about it...but let's just say this isn't the first time we've met."

Outside the door, Levy was holding her hand firmly over her mouth in a gasp while Erza turned away looking into the wall.

"Erza...I..." Levy put an arm on her friend's shoulder. "Ohh, it's okay Erza…I-I can just tell him we're not interested now that I..."

Erza turned and frowned. "No, I'd rather not send away a perfectly good prospect just because I was too clumsy to not know he was coming here…I don't know what it was to be honest...He's just so…"

Levy softly smiled and peeked back through the window. "Erza I am _not_ judging you...he is pretty cute."

Erza finally turned back with a stare of pure death while Levy held up two defensive hands. "Hold on I was just trying to give you credit for...whatever happened between you two! And besides…" She explained herself and let her eyes land on the muscular power forward from Oaktown. "…His _friend_ is kinda cute too!"

That comment finally made Erza crack a smile as she sank down and let her bottom hit the floor of the hallway. "Look at us. We aren't fit to manage this team by any means."

Levy laughed in response and joined her down on the floor. "Eh, don't worry. I think our time in the draft last night says otherwise."

* * *

As the Fairies' two newest assists signed away on their new deals, the day rolled into night in Magnolia. Now, Jude and his daughter were finally back from Crocus after a very long and boring college visit, and here we find Lucy sitting outside in the very large back patio space of her father's very enormous and very extravagant mansion that sat in a secluded area within the East Forest.

Lucy is not alone however, because she is also being joined by two of her best friends from the Magnolia franchise, Mirajane and Lisanna Strauss.

"Oh I always love coming to this house!" Mira sighed as she watched all the May fire flies swarming through the back yard. "It's always beautiful no matter what time of year it is!"

Her younger yet equally adorable sister Lisanna agreed. "I know! Lucy you are so lucky to live here."

Lucy forced a smile. "Haha, thanks! But ya know, sometimes it is a little too big…"

Lisanna pondered that thought. "Yea, I could imagine that would be the case. So how was your college visit?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and pouted. " _Super_ …after all I just _begged_ my dad to take me…" The sarcastic blonde then snapped her fingers and remembered something from the night before.

"Oh hey! Thanks again Mira for texting me the inside scoop from the draft room! Me and my dad ran into that creepy _Tartarus_ guy in Crocus, and I totally left him speechless with that early blog call on their failed trade!"

Mira giggled and waved her hand. "Oh you're welcome! Laxus asked who I was texting. He told me I needed to try my best to keep it all contained…heehee like _that_ was ever gonna happen!"

Lisanna then smiled. "Oh yea Lucy, I forgot you were at the Draft! You didn't happen to get any interviews with our new players did you?"

Mira then sat up. "OH! I'm so happy Elfman got drafted here! I was really worried for him!"

Lucy spoke up. "Yea, well I tried getting a few interviews, but eh I wasn't feeling it…" She then curled up into a ball on her chair.

Lisanna raised an eye brow. "Huh? You're _never_ worried with that kinda stuff Lucy?" But then Lisanna remembered she was actually very close to Lucy's age, and then remembered the once _little_ girl of Jude Heartfilia was now turning 18 in July, which made her face turn into a smile.

"Were you just a little _star struck_ by all the young college athletes?" Lisanna winked with sarcasm.

Mira added on. "Ooo I bet she was! Tell us, was it that hunk _Gray Fullbuster?_ Or I bet it was that point guard _Natsu Dragneel?_ I heard you were watching him awfully closely in that finals game?"

Lucy couldn't take the cross examination and finally smiled. "Eh, you caught me. _Elfman_ is just soo dreamy! I couldn't even keep my eyes off…"

The Strauss sisters both grabbed ice cubes from their glasses and hurled them at Lucy. Then Mira stuck two fingers in each ear. "Oooo my baby brother is _not_ growing up!"

Lisanna smiled. "Eh, come on Lucy, even _you_ know he has a crush on Evergreen." The short white haired girl was of course referring to one of her co-dancers in the Fairies cheerleading squad. "So tell us! Who did you _really_ interview?"

Lucy then sank in her chair. "W-well…I sorta dropped my recorder and tripped as I went in to interview Natsu…and it hit him in the foot."

Lisanna and Mira both howled with giggling laughter as the latter spoke up. "Awe, that's terrible! What did he do after that? Oh _please_ tell me he laughed!"

Lucy got really quiet as the blush of red was once again creeping up on her neck and cheeks.

"W-well…he told me I had _pretty eyes_."

Mira and Lisanna's jaws dropped faster than anything Lucy had ever seen. Mira then covered her mouth as her eyes began watering while Lisanna leaned over and hugged Lucy in a tight embrace.

"OH MY GOD LUCY HE _DIDN'T_!?" Lisanna shouted. "Just all random like that?"

"Basically?" Lucy admitted to that, even thought she started to sound confused with herself. "It was kinda weird..."

Mira held her hands up to her cheeks. "Ohh this is _amazing!_ Lucy you always find a way to attract the cutest boys in the league, even when your father tries his hardest to keep them away! I just hope we don't have another case like _Lo_ …"

 _"_ _SHUSH!"_ Lucy jumped out of her chair. "Please do not bring that up with dad home! You know how angry he gets when he hears _that name_ …?"

Lisanna and Mira both sat down as shivers passed through their spines. Lisanna then carried on, sounding very uncomfortable in her response. "I mean I don't blame him…it was _pretty_ awful."

Lucy tried to forget a very awkward and sad repressed memory, and chose to sigh as Mira once again smiled with joy.

"Oh well! I can already tell you and Natsu will be perfect together!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Mira I never said I…eh I'm just going to quit inviting you people over from now on…"

* * *

 **Okay that was fun! Time to assemble this team for their first meeting/scrimmage! How will they play with one another? Find out tomorrow! ...hopefully.**


	7. 7 - Fun With the Team

**Author's Note: Weeeell after a very busy Friday and Saturday I failed to upload my first chapter ever...I'm disappointed in myself. I apologize for doing that and hopefully it won't happen again. Now back to Magnolia!"**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Seven - Fun With the Team

* * *

"Oh I'm so excited to move into a new apartment, Natsu!" The Star point guard's younger sister Wendy expressed major excitement as she and her brother were being escorted through the building of their new home.

Located in a very urban section of downtown, Central Magnolia was home to the city's most overly priced housing and rental options. Towering skyscraper after skyscraper made this end of the town a highly desired residential area for young citizens, especially for professional athletes. Now, Natsu and Wendy are quickly being shown to their new apartment for their new lives in Magnolia.

As Wendy smiled with glee, her brother simply laughed at her remark. "Gee Wendy, I was actually pretty worried that you wouldn't like the idea of moving towns. I figured it was bad enough entering high school this year, but now I'm makin' ya transfer schools all together."

Wendy shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine. Like you said I'm going into high school, so it's not like I was familiar with the one back home, anyway."

Natsu appreciated her excitement with the entire move. He even made sure to enroll her in the local private school to ensure her joy, because as a brand new professional athlete, money wasn't a concern to the youthful spirit. Finally, after lugging the smallest bags inside the building elevator, the bellhop finally had them arrive to their floor.

Once the door opened, the employee continued to guide the two Dragneels through the corridor and down to the last room in the hallway. "Okay, Mr. Dragneel. I hope everything is to your liking."

Natsu smiled with praise. "Yea I think it'll all be good. Thanks for your help by the way!" Natsu had already seen the room when he made the tour a week ago, but now he had the opportunity to watch his little sister's reaction as she entered into the new living space for her very first time.

The tiny blue haired girl had golden eyes once the door opened. The living room/kitchen area was the biggest room she had ever seen, and everything inside was completely modern. There was also a hallway that went to the right, and led into a series of new rooms including three bedrooms each with separate bathrooms and finally a main bathroom right inside the main hallway.

Wendy lit up like it was Christmas morning. "OH NATSU THIS IS AMAZING! How much was this place?"

"Hehe…" The very young athlete never liked this part of the conversation. "I'll tell you in a few years…"

He then tipped and shook the bellhop's hand, and let the man return to the moving crew downstairs in order to help them ship all of Natsu and Wendy's luggage up to their new home. Wendy on the other hand ran right for the large bay window that overlooked the large section of downtown Magnolia. The skyline made the tiny girl "ooo" and "ahh" in delight as she tried collecting the entire image before her.

Natsu walked up behind her and directed her attention to the very large oval shaped building at the heart of the concrete jungle. "Look there's South Gate Arena! That's where I'll be making my new living, hehe!"

Wendy smiled at that thought. "Ooo I can't wait to go to your games! I wonder where my new high school is? This place is huge after all!"

Natsu thought about that for a second. "Huh? I think it was more in the suburbs…it's one of those fancy obnoxious schools if I can remember…"

Wendy then changed her expression from excited to anxious. "Oh don't say that! Now I'm worried I won't fit in!"

"Hey! Don't start up with that crap, Wendy!" Natsu declared in his defensive state of mind. He really loved his little sister, and although her old school treated her very well, the depiction of the suburban private high school did not leave Wendy or Natsu with a comfortable attitude.

Wendy finally forced a smile to comfort her brother. "Awe, you know what I mean. I'm just a little nervous is all…if worst comes to worst I can just skip school and come watch your games all the time!"

Natsu rubbed her head with a bright smile on his face. "Skip school? Heck I'm gonna make you go to all of my games regardless, even if they're during your school or not!"

Wendy smiled back and gave her older brother a large hug as they both watched the Magnolia sun set off into the west.

* * *

Now, it was later that night, and although their first official practice wasn't until the next day, the coaching staff had and early draft of plans for their new roster.

"Man, we're having practice without being told what for?" The regular small forward Jet said with concern. "I hope now one's in trouble."

Droy on the other hand took matters into his own state of mind. "Awe man! I knew Makarov was lying! He's gonna fire all the old players!"

Bickslow howled with laughter. "Ah keep your panties on, Droy! We're just gonna have a scrimmage or something. It's only for an hour, so it can't be anything too serious."

Freed nodded in thought. "Yes, that's quit the observation…what do you suspect, Laxus?"

The large blonde center never sat up, or even opened his eyes as he answered Freed's question. "I think you all need to calm down. Who cares what the meeting's for? Either way it's probably gonna be important."

He then held his next thought inside his mind. _"Except I know the old Geezer better than anyone…and I know for a fact he never stays out this late during the off season…"_

On the other side of the bench, all the new players decided to make their own group separate from the Magnolia veterans.

"No way, you're actually Jellal Fernandes!" Gray Fullbuster exclaimed as he looked to see his new teammate.

Natsu smiled as well. "Ha! The _Meteor Man_ comes to Magnolia! Man there's no way we're gonna lose this title now!"

Jellal smiled with both pride and self-restraint. "Well, I thank you both for your praise, but I imagine I'll be on the bottom of the roster with a group like this." He then looked to his new friend Gajeel. "What do you think?"

The large black haired power forward sat with his arms crossed in wait for the coaches. "I don't really care as long as I get playing time."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yea, that's the mentally we need as a team…"

Gajeel raised an eye brow. "I'm sorry, is the little Salamander from Acalypha trying to start something?"

Natsu made no restraint in standing right in front of Gajeel's view. "As a matter of fact I am! I can already tell I don't like your attitude, buddy!"

Gajeel rose to his feet as he stood a few inches taller than Natsu the point guard. "Look I don't know how you little prep boys did it in college, but here in the pros, we tend to mind our own business or shut the hell up. As far as I'm concerned, this town is only good because it kept me from playing another lousy year in Okatown. Anything else is below me…"

Natsu didn't like the negative energy. "LOOK PAL I DON'T HAVE TO BE SOME TEAM VETERAN TO KNOW YOU'RE A…!"

"SILENCE!"

All ten players stopped what they were doing to look up to the main tunnel onto the floor, where a single figure with feminine red hair stood with two arms placed firmly on her hips.

Gajeel immediately turned from Natsu and nudged Jellal in the chest. "Great, no wonder we're here so late..."

Jellal didn't know how to answer that, but either way he was actually happy to see the new guest. As she approached the players, he let out a faint grin. "Well, I'm glad you're running practice. Maybe we can continue out reunion from…"

Erza looked to Jellal with a serious expression. "I don't have the time for your concern, and I need to see you all play before the season begins. We can save it for another time."

"AGH!" Jellal was nearly left speechless by Erza's serious expression, almost as if she threw out all humanity and became the spiting image of a perfectly crafted coaching machine.

Natsu scratched his head. "I don't get it? Did you think you had a shot with the new coach?"

Erza looked right to the loud mouthed Salamander. "Why don't you save that little chatter for after my practice, rookie."

"ROOKIE!? WHERE DOES SHE GET OFF!? Natsu nearly fell over in confusion and slight embarrassment. Gray, Gajeel, and the familiar Fairies on the other hand simply shook their heads and stood up for their first practice.

As the ten players stood in wait, the very demanding assistant coach held a single basketball in her hands. "Okay to get a nice feel of the lineup, I want all five of our former players to form their regular line up. As for the five newest additions, I would like to see you all form a separate team of your own."

Elfman nearly fell over in confusion. "HOLD ON WE DON'T EVEN KNOW EACHOTHER!?"

Erza never changed her expression. "I'm sorry, was that supposed to change my decision? Five v Five. Old vs New…don't make me say it a second time."

Laxus rolled his eyes as all 9 other players ran frantically into their starting positions. Right away, the tall starting center found himself squared right up with Elfman in the center circle.

Elfman tried to force a laugh. "Hehe…you don't have to go so hard on me, man."

Laxus forced a smile. "Look, just because Bickslow and I are dating your sisters, don't think we're gonna go easy on you."

Bickslow smiled and added on. "Yea! And same goes for the rest of you newbies! Jellal and Gajeel get it, but there are a few things you gotta learn here in the FBA…"

Natsu smiled while looking rather confident with himself. "Oh yea? What's that?"

Erza threw the ball in the air as Natsu was finishing his sentence, and once it left her hands, Laxus swiped it over to Bickslow, who ran it right into the net for a slam dunk.

As he hung on the rim, Bickslow smiled back. "You gotta learn how to focus, boy!"

As their long but minor scrimmage went on, the Fairies seemed to accumulate a tiny crowd of two in the box seating area.

"Well this is pretty lame…all the new players are getting demolished!" Lucy Heartfilia exclaimed as she pointed to the only scoreboard lit up at the center of the ceiling.

Levy continued on some of her paper work as she smiled. "Yea, I kinda figured they'd have chemistry issues. I mean don't tell anyone this, but Erza will probably give most of the new guys starting positions anyway."

Lucy looked puzzled. "Well that makes total sense…anyway, where's Coach Dreyar? And for that matter why won't he make the decision himself?"

Levy took off her glasses. "Well, although he intends to keep coaching for a while, Makarov said he's going to sort of lay back this season. He's really giving Erza and I free reign over the team…so hopefully we'll win?" She admitted that with both half confidence and half embarrassment.

Lucy gave her a comforting smile. "Oh don't worry, if we end up with the same record as usual, you two will be fine."

Levy liked the sound of that, especially from the daughter of her new employer. "So tell me, I hear you're into journalism?"

Lucy tried avertting her eyes. "Oh yea…I mean it's nothing serious, just sort of a stupid kid dream or something."

Levy frowned. "Lucy you can't talk like that. This is your senior year in high school! You know how many kids your age don't have their future planned out? The fact that you have a goal sets you up perfectly for the future!"

Lucy sighed. "Yea? Well I can't say my goal is the one that matters…"

Levy snapped her figures. "Oh I know! Why don't you try interviewing one of the new players! I'm sure they'll give you a comfortable experience!"

Lucy sank lower in her chair. "Ahaha...eh let's just say I've tried, and no it was not."

As the two girls continued to chat, the scrimmage was rounding up. Erza had watched the Magnolia veterans dominate the entire show with a rough 30 point lead, and it also appeared that Jellal and Gajeel held most of the new players' points as well.

Natsu was starting to get really frustrated, more so after he missed every single shot taken. He was told that Gajeel had the best rebounding skills in Fiore, yet every time he missed Laxus or Droy would snatch it up first. And why did Gray always have to fumble his passes? You think after playing with each other for nearly 13 years Gray would be able to keep up with his speed. Jellal was playing well, but you could tell that he spent a couple years outside the league. Finally, Elfman was simply acting way too nervous to do anything at all, so as a result Natsu took it on himself to try and manage the team's scoring…and it got them a losing game of more than 30 points.

Freed took the ball at the top of their point as Gajeel yelled out with painting breaths. "Come on girl! Let's cut the crap! This isn't even a real practice for god's sake!"

Erza made no sudden words as she kept watching the game. Freed peered through the field as Natsu ran in to take the ball, and then after collecting himself, he managed to take a good scan of the court once again.

"Natsu is over thinking everything, so dispatching him isn't a major concern. Jellal is far too stationary to make a difference, but Gray and Gajeel are too physical to throw near…" He then landed on the very awkward match-up between Elfman and Laxus.

Freed finally grinned has he spun around Gray and launched the ball to Laxus's chest, who in response quickly grabbed the pass and tried pivoting inward to score the next point.

"Okay little Elf, I hope you're ready for number 15!" He was referring to all the dunks he had made over the tall center's head, which didn't help the rookie's motivation.

"Yea…?" Elfman held his hands high as he waited for Laxus to make his move. "We'll go ahead and get it over with…"

"HA! If you say so…!" Laxus grinned, and as he did just that, the center pivoted to the outside and tried to roll back around to posterize Elfman right above the net, but as he did Elfman got even higher and swatted the ball straight from his hands and into the lower seats.

Up in the box, Lucy gasped and Levy remained speechless as all the players stood around with gaping jaws.

Bickslow held up a hand. "Oh come on that's gotta be goal tending!" He then looked to his assistant coach, who let out a satisfied smiled and nodded.

"No, but that will end the practice. Good work, team…" She never gave them another word as the scary coach turned and left for the exit.

All 10 players sat with confusion as Natsu ran over and high fived Elfman. "WHOA MAN! THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!"

Elfman smiled with minor pride. "It was? Man I was just trying to do it all game."

Gray smiled. "Yea? Well either way you ended the reign of Coach Dictator for the night…man I don't think I can handle her all season long."

Gajeel scratched his head as they all wondered over to the bench. "No kidding, she went nuts tonight…Jellal you're gonna have to knock her down a few pegs and get her back on our side."

Jellal couldn't find the right words as he was taken away by Gajeel's very forward comment. "I-I mean we're all her players…I think someone else can…"

Natsu patted Jellal on the back before he could continue. "Hehe, now I know why you came to Magnolia! Oh man, how about we take this discussion down town? I'm starving!"

The four new players smiled at that suggestion as Natsu then turned to the five veterans. "Whatta say guys? How about a little team building?"

Jet and Droy, who didn't appear to have very many points in the scrimmage both nodded and looked at each other. Jet spoke first. "Sure, why not? Off field chemistry is pretty important too after all."

Droy turned to the three remaining players. "What about you guys?"

Laxus was silent as he took off his shoes, and Bickslow was too busy laughing at Laxus to give Droy an answer.

Finally Freed spoke first. "You all can go on without us. If we change our minds we can send you a message."

They all shrugged and slowly began walking out of the room. Right then Bickslow let out a very verbal howl.

"OH MAN! YOU LET LITTLE STRAUSS SWAT YOU AHAHAHAHAHA!" The tall shooting guard with black/purple hair couldn't contain himself has he smiled with laughter.

Laxus clicked his teeth. "Tch…yea well whose saying I wasn't just trying to let practice end for everyone. I knew what the red head was thinking, she just wanted to see the rookies make a big play."

Freed crossed his arms and smiled. "If you say so Laxus…after all from what you told us it sounds like the Coaches already have their roster decided."

Laxus held his head down in frustration. "Yea…and I'm already starting to get pissed at our new point guard's attitude on the court."

* * *

 **Okay some new team angst has emerged from the fighting powers of the Fairies. I think we've made it long enough without a real FBA game. Let's start the season with the next chapter!**


	8. 8 - The Season Begins

**Author's Note: Hello! Here's the new chapter! I made it extra-long since you guys leave so many reviews. I really do like to read them! Now we return to Magnolia!**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Eight - The Season Begins

* * *

Natsu sat alone in the very luxurious home locker room inside the South Gate Gardens Arena. He was tossing a ball up to himself as he waited for his teammates to enter into the room.

 _"_ _Okay. No more jokin' around, no more rehearsals. This is it. My first ever FBA game."_

After a very long couple of months, each filled with torturous practices from the dreadful assistant coach, Erza Scarlet, our all-stars for the town of Magnolia were now ready for the new season of basketball. It was now the last full week in August. If Natsu and Gray were still in college, they would begin classes the following Monday. However, they moved on to bigger and better things, and now this time of year symbolized the return of the FBA season.

With roughly 3 games a week the regular season of the FBA will stretch from about late August into mid-February. After that the league takes a week break, and then starts up with the first round of play-off games. However, until then each team sat with the vanilla record of 0-0, and the opening week always brings the best competition to the court.

The Fairies lucked out this year. Not only was their first game a home opener, but their schedule layout also favored them greatly. With 32 teams in the FBA, and 60 total games, some teams that sit across the conferences always manage to avoid playing each other in the regular season. As mentioned before, the previous champions and league enemies Tartaros Devils were not set to see the Magnolia Fairies during the entire stretch of the season.

However, this current game did not concern the devils, only the Fairies. Finally, as Natsu waits alone, he quickly overhears the first members of his team enter into the locker room.

"Well hey gang!" Natsu raised his hand at the sight of Gray and Elfman as the two fellow rookies opened their respective lockers. He then stood up. "You boys ready to hunt some ghosts?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Hey the positive attitude is helpful and all, but remember that Oaktown plays pretty well, and for it being our first game we can't let it get to our heads."

Elfman agreed. "He's right, after all Oaktown and Magnolia have been rivals in the FBA since the founding days of the sport."

Natsu smashed his fists together. "Right! Which is why we're gonna give our little ancestors a nice victory prize tonight!"

Meanwhile, as the large urban sporting center was slowly starting to fill up, two very young and familiar female faces have gone ahead and occupied the central box on the north side of the arena.

"Well hey Lucy! It's finally good to see you again!" Levy McGarden cheerfully patted Lucy Heartfilia on the shoulder as they intended to sit with one another for the game. Although the Fairies had a series of Pre-season games over August, Mr. Heartfilia and his young daughter never made time to attend these events. He had too many business meetings, and far too many surprise college visits for his beloved daughter that he decided to hold off on attending the games until the home opener for the regular season.

Meanwhile, Lucy smiled but rolled her eyes. "Thanks Levy. To be honest I didn't want to miss any of the pre-season games…" This playying hooky for the pre-season was nothing new for Jude, who always had a habit of scheduling business conferences during early August. However, the pre-season was always Lucy's best chance to gain secret court-side access at the end of games, because her father never made it out to see them.

Now, she missed that chance, and either had to pass on her first of the year interviews, or she would have to grow a spine and make her way down to the court by the end of the game, with all the eyes and cameras pointed right down there at her.

Levy smiled anyway and looked down to the court. "Awe, I'm sorry you had to miss the pre-season. It was actually pretty intense! We went 5-1 actually, which has been our best pre-season record in 5 years!"

Lucy smiled. "Yea I heard about it! I guess everyone got a lot of playing time. How did the rookie players do?"

Levy looked proud as she rang out the performances. "Well not to brag or anything but I think I made some pretty good moves in picking our draft players. Gray broke the pre-season free throw percentage record for Magnolia, Elfman recorded a team high list of rebounds, and Natsu walked away averaging 30 points…which actually that one was going to be pretty obvious."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Hmm…well if I know point guards they really need to focus less on shooting and a lot more on facilitating. Hopefully Natsu can learn how to work with everyone in tonight's game as a leader and not just a scorer."

Levy sat back after hearing Lucy's break down. "Y-yea…wow that was actually quite the observation, Lucy! I had no idea you were that into basketball!"

Lucy faked a smile as she remembered the conversation she had with her father over the summer. "Hehe, well ya know…I _do_ watch a lot of games."

Levy never figured out her fib as she looked back down to the court. "Well, it looks like we'll find out soon! Here's the opposing team!"

The fans booed and yelled with slurs as a team dressed in all black and purple warm ups took the court. One fan more than all however, stood tall from his court side seat and yelled at the top of his lungs. "YOU IDIOTS WILL REGRET EVER TRADING GAJEEL!"

Bora shouted with rage coming from his voice. His girlfriend Juvia on the other hand sat by with a giggling face on the other side of his seat. "Oh Bora, I bet you've been waiting all summer to yell that!"

Bora quickly sat down and put his arm around her chair. "Hehe, well I can't lie. It did feel great…but now that I've noticed, I've never seen you smile this much at an FBA game before?"

Juvia beamed with giddy joy and her cheeks flushed with red as she laid her head down on the inside of his chest. "Well, what can I say? A new season, new town, new home, it's all just very exciting this time around!"

Bora would have responded, but as he did the lights went out and everyone grew twice as loud, but not for long as an electronic voice appeared over the microphone.

"Good evening and welcome to the city of Magnolia! We have a great game for ya tonight here in Fairy-Town ta kick off our 50th season opener!

The fans lit up with fiery passion as Lucy fine-tuned her ears. "Hmm, that voice sounds familiar…Hold on that's _Max Alors!_ " She then turned and smiled to Levy. "He left Magnolia as a free agent right before you came in, but then announced an early retirement after no one signed him."

Levy nodded. "Well it looks like he's returned to be our play-by-play announcer."

The voice of Max Alors rang out once again as a single spotlight found its way to the main tunnel entrance on the left side of the court. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the first look at your X791 Magnolia Fairies Starting Lineup!?"

The Fairies all over South Gate Arena responded in a chorus of "yeses" as Max continued.

"Haha, I thought so. Now without further ado, let's get to it! Starting as your point guard, the small but nimble rookie out of Acalypha! He's known to bring all the fire to each game he plays. Give it up for number 00, NATSU _DRAGNEEEEL!"_

The hot-headed Natsu ran out with two fists in the air as the light hit him in all his pride. Fans went nuts as he waved his hands around and ran off to his bench.

"Up next, the same school brings us the same kind of power with your new starting Small Forward. He's one of the game's best fundamentalist players. Please give it up for GRAY _FUUULLBUSTER!"_

All the fans (but mainly the stadium's female guests) stood in loud cheers as Gray entered the arena. He modestly held his hand up to wave to the crowd and took his place right by his team.

Bora couldn't see, but Juvia's deep blue pupils were shortly replaced with two bright pink hearts as her new favorite player took the court _. "Ohhh I haven't seen him in soo long! Even after the past few months he still looks dreamy as ever!"_

Thankfully, Bora also never heard Juvia's awkward inner thought. Now Max continued. "Our third man is another new comer, but he is no stranger to the guests from Oaktown. Here's the Man of Steel and new Power Forward looking to earn some redemption points, give it up for GAJEEL _REDFOOOX!"_

Fairy fans needed no excuse to praise his name. Since they were set to play their league rivals, it felt good to have their old all-star starting for them instead. Gajeel laughed at the crowd and waved a hand as he quickly stood with Gray.

"Our fourth player is also new to Magnolia, but he is by no means new to the league. This legendary Shooting Guard once led the league in shooting percentage, and he still holds the record for most three-pointers in a single season. Your former league MVP straight outta retirement, give it up for the Meteor Man himself, JELLAL _FERNAAANDES!"_

Arguably the biggest star to ever play for Magnolia in recent memory, Jellal came out with a modest smile and raised one hand in a small gesture to appease his crowd. He then slowly jogged over to greet Gajeel and the others near the bench,

"Finally, this next man needs no introduction, and he also plans to lead this team of newbies into the bright future ahead. Please give it up for your home town hero, your favorite Fairy, and your starting center, LAXUS _DREYAAAAAAR!_ "

Laxus emerged as the last starter and met the loudest crowd of the night, and as the large light hit is entrance, he raised both hands and smiled to the audience as he made his way over to his teammates.

Max then continued as the lights came back on. "The Fairies are being led by Head Coach Makarov Dreyar and assistant Coach Erza Scarlet."

The Fairies then took the field, and right away one of them was distracted by a yelling voice from the end of the court.

"GO _LAXUS!"_

The tall center turned to find Mirajane Strauss standing in front of her 5 fellow dance partners as she waved with a peppy jump. Her friends then added on.

"Go get 'em guys!" Yelled the captain's sister Lisanna.

"We've got this game in the bag!" Yelled the cute newest member to the dance team, Laki Oletta. "There's no way Oaktown's winning this one!"

Beside her a rather gorgeous cheerleader with light brown hair rolled her eyes. "Yes, at least we can only hope…Go give us a big win, Laxus!"

Mira gave her teammate a great big smile. "Oh Evergreen you're so sweet!" Knowing Evergreen and Laxus went to college together, Mira respected their former friendship from years past.

However, not every cheerleader agreed. To Mira's right, an even more beautiful dancer with a tall figure and wavy brown hair smiled with a sly grin. "Man, Mira. I can't believe you're gonna let Ever cheer for your man like that…" This girl then bent down to grab her bottle of _water_.

As she took a drink, the sixth and final cheerleader raised an eyebrow. "Cana you know you don't have to butt-in to Mira's life, right?" This girl had a gorgeous head of long green hair and stood with a hand on her hip. "And for the love of god please don't tell me there's liquor in that bottle?"

Cana stumbled over and put her arm around her green haired friend's shoulder. "Awe come on, Bisca lighten up…ya know if you're _super sweet_ to me I'll think about sharin' some with ya?"

Mirajane had no choice but to laugh at all her goofy dancer partners, but then kept her eyes on her beloved boyfriend and yelled out once more. "Oooo just give us a win Laxus!" She cried out one final time as both teams took the court.

 _"_ _Heh, anything for you…"_ Laxus whispered to himself with a sincere smile as he took his place at the center ring.

Yet, as the young and attractive cheerleaders were yelling out for their favorite team, Natsu's first line of focus came to their 7th member, who was not dressed in a dancer's outfit, but instead a very large and seemingly overweight cat costume, covered in all blue fur with great big black eyes.

Natsu cracked a smile because he couldn't take the goofy sight seriously. "Haha no way. That's the mascot! Why is it a cat!?"

No one answered as the game appeared to be starting up any moment now. As a result Natsu yelled from behind his tall center. "Okay Laxus no crappy taps! I want the ball right in front of me!"

Laxus never turned around to give Natsu the satisfaction. "You'll get the ball wherever I tap it to, okay little man?"

Natsu started to chuckle. "Uh-oh sounds like Laxus wants to join his friends in the dance squad! Man come on! I'm ONLY messin' with ya!"

Laxus rolled his eyes. Although he had gotten use to Natsu's odd sense of humor, his loud mouth and fiery comments didn't help the fact that he was annoying as hell.

Now, Laxus had to drown out all other noises as the ref and opponent joined him in the circle.

"Okay, let's have a good, clean game. And let's watch the elbows this year Laxus?"

The blonde center laughed. "Yea, whatever you say Mest. Just make sure you're not calling crap fouls this year either."

The referee named Mest forced a grin and held the ball as the Oaktown center joined the ring as well. The tall man dressed in a long purple jersey began sobbing uncontrollably through his thick white blind fold. "How _awful!_ Why must you cripple such a wondrous player's game?! Oh what has the profession of officiating become?"

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Okay Aria I see _you're_ still a nut job."

The man named Aria then wiped his eyes. "OH THANK YOUUU!"

Mest ignored that and blew his whistle. _"HERE WE GO!"_

As the small ref tossed the ball high in the air, Laxus jumped up to get it, but was left an entire foot below Aria's insane vertical leap.

As the mighty Oaktown Center came down with the ball, he tossed it to his slender point guard, who appeared to be a very nimble man with sharp green hair and a tiny little mustache.

"No no no! Oh _ce terrible!_ I cannot expect to play at my full ability versus such a youthful _garçon_!" The slender point guard for Oaktown quickly dribbled the ball as he was beginning to lose Natsu's focus.

"Man! How can this guy dribble so fast!?" Natsu yelled in confusion as the Phantom player smiled with a twist of his moustache.

"Oh contraire my _petite Fairy_ , I am not zee one moving fast, but rather _you_ are moving quite slowly…" He then raised an eyebrow and swiftly ran by Natsu in a burst of dust.

As Natsu couldn't catch up to his nimble ball handling, Gray came over to face his hands, but as he reached the enemy, the Phantom smiled and passed the ball.

"Zis is for you, my bold _compagnon!_ " The eccentric green haired point guard quickly delivered his pass to his own shooting guard a crossed the high arc.

The SG, who held a tight bun of black and white hair behind his head smiled with pride. "Sol, you deliver such a great pass every time!" The young man smiled as he tossed up a very swift shot, and sank it straight into the net.

"And the first blood comes from our Fairies as _Totomaru_ sinks a three pointer!"

Gray looked angry with himself. "Damn it! I shouldn't have moved from my zone…"

He would have continued beating himself up but Natsu came over and smiled. "Hey relax. It's only on point."

Gray forced a smile as he took the ball from the ref and tried to throw it in bounds, yet as he did, a very quick and very tall Power Forward with dark skin and a bald head ran though and intercepted the inbounds pass, slamming it right in the net.

"OUCH THAT ONE HURT! The Fairies go down by 5 as Oaktown's Boze slams it in for the dunk!"

Boze turned and ginned to the Fairies, but as they all looked over, his eyes only met with one.

"Just thought you'd like to see how our new team operates without ya, Gajeel."

"Gsh." Gajeel bit his tongue to prevent his head from getting lost.

As the Fairies tried their next play, Makarov stood in silence in front of his bench seat. _"Hmmm…we can't let them get ahead by too many points. If they hit double digits before we score…"_

However, he was quickly interrupted by a yell from the opposing coach. The tall burgundy haired man with a cruel beard smiled with glee. "Oh I'm sorry Makarov. I'd hate to see you over think the big game. After all, I did imagine running a team of fools might ware off on you eventually."

 _"_ _Jose."_ Makarov whispered under his breath as he scowled back to his inter conference rival. "JUST LEAVE YOUR TRASH TALK OUTTA MY BENCH! YOU HEAR ME!?"

Jose would have responded, but he was too busy smiling at another turnover that led to a rather quick dunk from Aria the center.

"Oh I'm sorry, you were telling me something?" Jose smiled like a snake as he clapped for his team.

Erza tried to raise some confidence. "Relax we can handle this. All's we need to do is…"

"Oh and Jellal shoots up a good for nothing brick! Now Aria rebounds, sends it down court to OH WOW BOZE SLAMS IN HIS SECOND OF THE QUARTER!"

Erza and Makarov now fell to the ground as Max continued. "Well, is it too soon to say the team of 'Wonder Fairies' might actually be a flop?"

Erza looked up with eyes of confusion as Makarov stood back on his feet and sighed.

"Don't worry…you'll get used to it eventually."

* * *

Soon after as the longest game of their lives came to an end, the TV super star Chapati Lola spoke right into the camera with the face of a reporter. "Well who woulda thought that Phantom would leave here with a 40 point victory!? Man I don't think I've ever seen a beat down that bad in a Magnolia Opening weekend!"

Yajima, his co-star wanted to hold his tongue. "Yea…it was something."

Chapati decided to continue on without his partner. "Well should we start pointing fingers at the naïve GM who orchestrated this team of lack luster all-stars, or can we just go ahead and leave it on the court? Either way that will do it for us here in Magnolia!"

Makarov slowly walked over to the opposing bench in the quick after math of the game to reluctantly give Coach Jose Porla a hand shake. However, Jose let the moment linger far too long.

"Well, isn't this going to be a _fun_ year? I'm so glad we play multiple games against our loving rivals in Magnolia!" He then released his hand and howled with laughter as he turned for the locker room."

Makarov stood with a face full of anger as Erza looked worried. "Sir, I would just ignore him…"

"Don't worry...I learned to do that a long time ago." He then held back his rage and turned to leave the court. "Come. We need to have a meeting."

It turns out that the players were equally as angry with the disappointing loss. Laxus, who normally sees Mirajane right after the whistle blows, never said a word as he ran right into the locker room without shaking the opponent's hands.

However, he was only the second in the locker room as Gajeel avoided the handshakes as well. He wasn't about to see his old teammates in that kind of loss and look them in the eye. Jellal, Gray, Natsu, and all the other Fairies however made their moment as honorable losers and tried their hardest to endure the loss.

"OHH WHAT SHAME! HOW SORROWFUL!" Aria cried as he tightly clutched Jellal's much smaller hands. "Why should such a legendary athlete fall in a battle such as this!?"

Jellal forced a smile and gave Aira a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks. It's nice to see you again as well, Aria…" He then walked away and rubbed his sore hand as all his teammates made the rounds.

Gray had finished with his moment of humility as he went right for the locker room, but as he did he happened to walk right by his old friends Bora and Juvia.

"Well, I can't say the game was good, but Gray I really can't blame it on you." Bora smiled and gave Gray a pat on the shoulder.

The long in the face Small Forward sighed. "Yea…just kinda sucks to have this go down as my first FBA game."

Juvai stood by Bora with watery eyes and trembling hands. "Oh you poor dear…I-I feel your pain. B-but you can keep your head up for the next game! I'm sure you and your team mates will win that one!"

Gray tilted his head and smiled. "Gee thanks. Ya know you guys are pretty good fans."

Bora looked at Juvia with eyes of complete confusion and laughed. "Well, anyone who can make my beloved Juvia grow emotional over my favorite sport is always welcomed to a conversation. Last year I couldn't even get her to attend two games in total."

Gray laughed at that comment and looked right to Juvia. "Is that right? Well hey I'll try to win the next one for ya."

Bora nodded graciously and Juvia's eyes filled with stars. "OH MY! I-I HAVE FULL FAITH IN YOU!"

Gray scratched his head and chuckled as he turned for the locker room. "Gee thanks!... _Man those two are nice, but they're also really weird…"_

As Gray entered the tunnel, he narrowly passed a very young and naïve blonde teenager trying her luck at on-field journalism.

"Ahaha…so y-you'd say that was your easiest game ever?"

Lucy would have been more confident, but her athlete of choice, Totomaru of Oaktown, had his hand up against the nearby wall, and sort of awkwardly pinned her in a tight spot without letting her walk around.

"Well, I mean I _did_ lead the game in points. But I'd understand if you weren't paying attention the whole time." He said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Right…" Lucy awkwardly replied. She then held her next sentence in her mind. _"Glad to see this ass thinks I don't know what sport I'm following."_

Totomaru then caught her off guard as he leaned in closer. "Hey, why don't you just let me run to the locker room for a moment, and then the two of us can go finish this interview down town?"

Lucy's eye began to twitch. "Ahaha, well gee if I were _closer_ to your age I would love to follow you up on that offer..."

Totomaru leaned back and raised an eye brow. "Man, you have quit the lip for a rookie reporter."

Lucy was left with a gaping mouth. "AND YOU HAVE QUITE THE LIP FOR A…!"

"Hold on! What the hell are you two yappin' about?"

Both Lucy and Totomaru turned to find Natsu Dragneel heading in for his locker room, but since they were located near his tunnel, the fiery point guard made his way over to their very obnoxious interview session for a quick peak.

Totomaru stood tall and smiled. "Oh the rookie Fairy is next in line? Ha! Sorry, but this isn't college. Reporters don't follow the losing teams."

Lucy snapped back. "Actually that's wrong. FBA reports have to cover both sides of the line."

Totomaru turned back towards Lucy and scanned her body, and noticed she wasn't wearing any badge for an official television network.

He then chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Well maybe I'll go find an _actual_ FBA reporter and see if they say the same thing. "He turned to leave, but ran right into Natsu's face.

Natsu had to speak through his grinding teeth in order to make himself clear. "Look I understand if you have beef with me or my teammates, but to see you act like an ass to some random reporter makes me sick." Natsu then closed the already small gap between their faces. "I hope you're ready for me next time our teams square off."

Totomaru never changed his smirking expression as he looked Natsu right in the eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night…rookie." He finally walked around and back over to his team's side of the court.

Natsu's glare follow Totomaru with two very angry eyes, but his concentration was broken as the familiar blonde reporter spoke back up.

"Wow, thanks…" She softly smiled as she brushed hair out of her right eye. "Normally I try and stick to interviewing Fairy players, but he caught me as I was heading for your tunnel."

Natsu smiled back with his bright toothy grin. "Hey, you don't have to explain it to me! _You're_ the reporter after all!" Then as he opened his eyes they grew twice their normal size. "HOLD ON! ARE YOU THE SAME GIRL FROM THE DRAFT!?"

"Hehe, yea I am…" Lucy awkwardly admitted. She then raised her hand up to Natsu. "My name's Lucy. It's nice to finally meet you…sort of."

The rookie point guard gave her an authentic smile back and shook her hand. "Hehe, man you were right; we did end up seeing each other again after all! So what are you like an exclusive Magnolia reporter or something?"

Lucy had never made it through a conversation with an FBA player before they tried flirting with her or started drifting their gaze in boredom. So Natsu's cheery attitude sort of caught her off guard as she rubbed her right upper arm. "Hahaha, eh you could say that…"

Natsu raised an eye brow. "Well you must be pretty good at what ya do. After all you look _way_ too young to be a reporter!"

Now he was starting to offend her. Lucy frowned and crossed her arms.

"Well, I mean I'm not _that_ young!" She replied with closed eyes and a teasing voice, but as she opened her eyes Natsu was already turned and gone.

"SORRY! I GOTTA GO GET CHANGED! MAYBE I'LL SEE YA AROUND!"

"Agh…!" Lucy realized she was just about to interview an invisible Natsu before she discovered he was gone. She then uncomfortably yelled back to him. "Um…yea maybe you will!"

As Lucy kept her arms crossed she watched the dimwitted point guard strut back inside his team's locker room, but with the daunting loss over everyone's heads, his bizarrely cheery attitude kept her very confused.

Finally, the blonde teenager let a faint blush of warmth cross her cheeks as she made her final thought.

 _"_ _Man…what is his deal?"_

* * *

 **Well that was very sad for our Fairies! We got to meet some new faces though! The cheerleaders and the other teams will be really fun to write! Hopefully for the regular season games the chapters will be more of a manageable length.**

 **A little Gruvia and NaLu interactions in this one...maybe we'll feed the other fans next chapter.**

 **(Also, new FT Manga chapter this week too! I already read the spoilers/previews for it. Man it was...it was...AGH GO READ IT WHEN YOU CAN!)**


	9. 9 - Coping with the Loss

**Author's Note: Hello! Chapter nine! Okay I went back to re-read my work and I made a little oopsie...**

 **I think for the most part I've been pretty good at reminding the readers that Lucy is in high school, but back in chapter 7 I clearly labelled her as a senior in college...which is _false._ I'm not sure who all caught it, but I should be clear at this point in the story-she is 18 years old and a senior in high school.**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoy!**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Nine - Coping with the Loss

* * *

It was now a short time after the game between the Oaktown Phantoms and the Magnolia Fairies. All of the fans had left the stadium, and within the hour most of the employees would join them too.

However, one particular Fairy player was still taking the game rather roughly. After all of his teammates left the locker room, Gajeel Redfox stayed behind to "enjoy" some alone time for a quick moment of reflection.

 _"_ _Great."_ He scolded himself mentally while he listened to music on his MP3 player. _"I had those asses in Oaktown on the ropes, and now my new team of morons knocks me back down."_

He then turned to his right and saw his new Fairy jersey sitting out on his bag. _"Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea…"_

After a short moment, the Man of Steel finally gathered his things and made his exit. However, as he opened the door and turns to shut off the lights, one employee comes roaring through the hallway.

"Oh no! Are you the last one out!?" It was Levy McGarden, and apparently she was looking for someone.

Gajeel looked rather annoyed. "What does it look like?"

Levy stopped running and laid her forehead against the wall. "Oh man, Coach Dreyar wanted us to have a meeting before we left, but I told him I had to finish something first. I waited for him at my office, but he never came. So I figured he was still in his office or down here somewhere."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Oh yea. He told us he had to meet with Heartfilia upstairs…"

Levy opened her eyes and raised her head. "Shut up…AGH! I bet they're all in Jude's office! Man, I can't get anything to go my way today!"

Gajeel finally let out a smirk as he understood her stress. "Geeze. I don't know about your lame meeting, but you're a GM, not a coach. You can't take our losses as your own."

Levy would have verbally replied, but instead she held up her phone, and revealed the top sports article of the night (from a legitimate source, not from a teenage sports blog.)

 **"** **FAIRIES FAIL TO FLY: IS NEW** ** _GENERAL MANAGER_** **TO BLAME?"**

"What is this crap? And why are there so many F's?" Gajeel looked pissed off as Levy explained.

"They're saying it's because I grabbed too many new players in the off season, and now they're directing some of it at Makarov and Erza for starting the wrong people. I bet they'll dig up the story where I declined 10 draft pick from Tartaros too…"

Gajeel would have taken her seriously, but he had been in the league long enough to know that was all ridiculous. "HAHAHA! You're actually believing these idiots?!"

Levy looked up as Gajeel walked by and continued. "Look taking flack is something GMs do. You gotta suck it up. If you let this little story bite you on the ass, you'll be pretty sore later down the road."

Levy shook her head and let out a chuckle to his response. "Well I'm glad you have good spirits…by the way I meant to apologize to you personally."

Gajeel stopped walking and turned around. "Huh? Why the hell are you…?"

Levy explained. "I was the one who worked the deal to acquire you and Jellal. If I didn't pick you up, I imagine Oaktown would have just re-signed you. Then you could have avoided all this embarrassment."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Ah cut the crap. I chose to leave Oaktown."

Levy looked surprised to hear him say that. "R-really? You were their biggest star."

Gajeel clicked his teeth. "Yea? Well apparently you didn't do your research. I guess I pissed Coach off mid-season, so he decided to bench my ass during each game…" He followed by looking Levy right in the eye. Gajeel wasn't sure what it was, but now he had high hopes for his team of misfits in Fairy Town.

Then, Gajeel took his final walk. "…come to think of it, coming here may of actually been a high point in my career."

As the confused Power Forward walked down the hallway, Levy forced a smile. _"Well, if he can smile after tonight, than I guess I have no excuse!"_

* * *

Now, we find ourselves a half hour later in the main lobby of the South Gate Arena. After Jude Heartfilia's management meeting, all the coaches and staff made their leave for the night.

Here, we find the young and angry assistant coach Erza Scarlet walking out in a cloud of confusion as she left through the main doors.

 _"_ _I can't believe we lost by 40 points. I thought my practices were actually going places. We won so many games in the pre-season, and all the players seemed to have decent chemistry…"_ She continued to wonder out to find her car until she found an occupied one first.

Sitting inside a very old fashioned sports car was Jellal Fernandes, who had his window cracked as he smoked a cigarette in the warm August night.

Erza discovered his parked car was between her and her vehicle, so she had no choice but to acknowledge his presence. "Well...glad to see you're still smoking."

Jellal turned his head and appeared to be holding a phone in his other hand. This made Erza's face flush with red and stutter in a retreat.

"Ohh I-I'm so sorry! I had no idea you w-were on the…!" She panicked in her turn around until Jellal yelled out.

"Hold on!" He had slight laughter in his voice as he hung up his phone. "I wasn't actually talking with anyone…they wouldn't answer."

Erza stopped as his voice hit her ears. She then turned to find him grinning.

"Now, you were saying something about this?" He extended his outside arm and held a short cigarette in his left hand. Normally he felt very intimidated by his former acquantences presence, but after the hard loss moments ago, he just wanted to be honest with her and get their conversation over with.

Erza turned her panicked face back into a stern smile of sorts. "Yes, I was…why are you smoking? You're a professional athlete."

"I…to be honest I'm not sure anymore…" He flicked the cigarette butt off and into the concrete. "Being out of the league for a few years let my mind slip…and a few other health habits re-emerged."

The red haired beauty shook her head. "Well, had I of known you were still doing it, I probably would have made a team policy much sooner."

Jellal rolled his eyes. "My you are quite the coach. Here you are scolding a league veteran, and a man who is several years older than you are; and yet you appear to have no fear at all."

Erza met his eyes and raised an eyebrow. Jellal made her so angry every time her looked at her like that...after everything he did to her.

She let out a forced sigh. "Tell me, why do _you_ think we lost tonight?"

Jellal stopped for a moment and turned to deliver a shrug. "Is there supposed to be one answer? Natsu couldn't manage the team, Gray was left frozen in pressure, Gajeel was being targeted, I missed all my shots, and Laxus couldn't believe his team of all-stars was actually a team of failures."

Erza wasn't expecting such an honest answer. "A-ah well that's not entirely true…I mean you made some of your shots."

Jellal looked her in the eyes. "Right, so did that help close the gap from 50 to 40?"

The young but smart coach shook her head and finally walked around his car. "You're ridiculous. I'll see you at practice tomorrow."

As she walked around the front of his car, Jellal's eyes followed her every move. Even in a simple black shirt and pants she still looked stunning.

However, despite his mood to mend failed bonds, he watched as she climbed into her car and powered on the engine.

Then, the _Meteor Man_ sighed and pulled out another cigarette.

"Well…maybe I'll ask another time."

* * *

As Jellal and Erza drive home separately, we find all the veteran Fairies enjoying a tiny late night meal together down town. Inside the Fairy Tail pub was Jet, Droy, Freed, Bickslow, and a very quiet Laxus. These notable players were also being joined by several cheerleaders, Lisanna, Evergreen, Cana, and lastly Mirajane.

Cana yelled out to the waiter. "Hey! Can we get another round or what?!" She then turned back to her two tables. "Damn, shit service when you guys lose, am I right?"

Most of the guests let out a tiny laugh, except for Bickslow, who moved his arm from Lisanna's shoulders to give Cana a high five. "HA! Man you're right about that, Cana! I mean maybe we oughtta start winning just for this!"

Lisanna rolled her eyes and took a sip from Bickslow's drink. "Or maybe you could just win it for the fans? Or how about Makarov, or Jude? Those two have put so much time into this team, and we fail them each year." She was driving him home, so she decided not to actually order anything to drink for herself.

Evergreen took her old empty glass and began spinning it with her finger. "I don't know what you're talking about with all this 'we' nonsense. I didn't play."

Cana leaned over and nudged her in the side. "No, but _Elfman_ got in tonight…heh then he kinda sucked."

Lisanna smacked her brown haired friend on the arm for that jab as Cana yelled back. "Oy! What was that for?"

Lisanna looked slightly angry, but not in a serious manor. "Be nice! He tried his hardest."

Evergreen actually smiled at the joke and began playing with her own hair. "So Lisanna, where _is_ your brother tonight, anyway?"

Jet took the last sip from his glass and explained. "What you don't remember? We never bring the new guys out until our first win. That's also why you all never told Laki where we went after the game."

Cana nodded. "Yea, and Bisca never goes out now that Alzack might be coming back. Man I can't believe he got shipped out with the army over 2 years ago." She referred to Bisca's distant boyfriend who was currently stationed in a Fiore military base overseas.

Droy sat next to Jet with his head between his hands. "Yea, which means those guys will probably miss a lot of 'team meetings.'"

As these few friends had a friendly conversation, Freed, Laxus and Mira held the other end of the group's table to themselves. Mira had her hand on Laxus's leg and began to rub his knee in comfort.

"Oh cheer up, Laxus. I hate seeing you this mad when you lose." She always made the effort to frown at the sight of her sad boyfriend.

Laxus kept looking at his empty glass. "Freed, I lost count. How many shots did Natsu miss?"

Freed sighed. "I believe his failed attempts made it into the 40s."

Laxus continued. "And how many turnovers did Gray have?"

Freed no looked uncomfortable. "I-I'm actually not sure. I didn't bother keeping track of all our failures."

Laxus shook his head. "Well to be honest I don't care if you counted or not… _those two_ better start doing it soon. They'll need to get their shit straight if we want to win a damn game this season at all."

* * *

While we leave the depressing tavern on Main Street, we find Wendy Dragneel sitting alone on her living room couch with her head turned toward the nearest bathroom door. It was shut and occupied, and it appeared the blue haired teenager was concerned with the person on the other side.

As the door opened, a shirtless Natsu wearing long red pajama pants came out with a white t-shirt draped around his neck.

Wendy sighed but never turned away from the TV. "Natsu, you doing okay?"

Natsu let out a smile. "Me? Ha, I'm fine!" He appeared to quickly wave away the crushing defeat and let it all fade behind him.

Wendy looked his way as she didn't believe him for some reason. Natsu acknowledged his sister's stare. "Come on, you know that's not my first loss ever, plus we have like 60 games left!"

"Y-yea, I suppose you're right…" Wendy turned back around and watched the TV as she hugged a pillow close to her chest.

Sorry eyes then came from Natsu as he walked around and sat next to his younger sister on their fancy new couch. "Hey, what about you? Are _you_ doing okay?"

Wendy looked worried. "M-me? I mean I'm doing fine…" She looked like she was hiding something.

Natsu put his arm around her. "Whoa whoa whoa. What's up?"

She turned her head down to the floor. "Well I was just kinda hoping to see you win tonight. I really like our new home, but it' just a little hard to get used to. A little pick-me-up would have been nice…"

Nastu tried to smile. "Awe come on! You can come see us Monday! If Jude's cool with it he may even let you ride the jet with us! …I mean I've sort of had a rough start with him, hehe, but…"

Wendy never looked up. "Natsu…I can't go out Monday."

Somehow Natsu deciphered her words as a new revelation clicked in the back of his head. Tonight was a _Thursday,_ and his next game was Monday…her first school night.

"Wendy…you're nervous about starting high school, aren't you?"

Wendy never answered.

Natsu brought her closer. "Ah geeze Wendy, you gotta cheer up! I looked at that place, it's really fancy!"

"Yea?" Wendy sighed again. "Maybe it's _too_ fancy…"

"What's that supposed to…hold on are you nervous about it being all rich and preppy?" Their aunt Porlyusca heard terrible things about the closer high schools in the more urban side of town, and because of that Natsu made her a promise to enroll Wendy in a highly desired prep school - thanks to his new _affluent career._

Wendy let out a small laugh. "No, it'll be weird though. I mean, these kids might come from really different back grounds…"

Natsu remembered his first day of high school, but he had a large group of friends to follow him up. Now he was putting some of the guilt on himself. "Well hey, maybe I'll waltz into the school on Monday and excuse you from classes. Then I'll take you to our game in Cait Shelter!"

Wendy finally let out a smile for her silly brother. "Natsu no one skips the first day of school…but thanks anyway."

She then brought him in for a tight hug, but even in her warm embrace, Natsu wasn't done.

* * *

Now the next day was here and it was already late in the afternoon. The losing Fairies had just finished up an excruciating practice and were all resting their feet on the bench as they enjoyed a very quiet and awkward moment without any coaches.

As silence filled the large room, Natsu let out a yell. "OKAY! WHOSE GONNA BE THE FIRST GUY TO TALK!?"

Levy and Lucy were sitting in their usual spots to take notes (one for her _dream_ job and another for her _actual_ one) and both girls jumped in fear as his loud voice echoed throughout the large room.

Gajeel snapped his head up from his tiny nap. "Would you shut up Salamander? That voice of yours can bring down a glass church."

Natsu didn't like the attitude. "Whoa pal. Only my teammates in Acalypha called me that. You better watch yourself before I…"

"Before you what?" Laxus spoke up from a nap of his own as Gajeel and Natsu both stood in fear. "Are you gonna talk some shit to your new teammate, or are you gonna shut your trap."

"Grrrr…" Natsu somehow managed to bite his tongue as Gajeel sat up.

"Hey Laxus. What has the press been saying about the geezer?" Gajeel then waited for his answer.

Laxus wasn't in the mood to talk, but he would have looked sort of hypocritical after bashing Natsu's lack of team spirit. "Some crap like how it's his fault for starting the wrong players. Why?"

Gajeel paused and looked up to the two hard working girls in the box seats. "Just wondering. I guess they've been talkin' smack to our new GM too."

Laxus smirked. "Well, if it bothers you that much maybe we should try _winning_ a game…"

Natsu would have let out another yell, but he appeared to follow Gajeel's gaze to the upper deck. There he saw a very familiar head of blonde hair sitting next to Levy.

"Whoa Laxus. Is that reporter girl here to do a team report?" The pink haired boy said with frantic words.

"What the hell are you…?" Laxus sat up and turned around to see Levy and Lucy working. Then he turned back to the front and laughed. "Her? Ha! Man she's not a reporter. Hell she isn't even out of high school."

Natsu looked confused. "Really!? Man she's tried interviewing me twice!"

Laxus closed his eyes once more. "Yea? Well I bet they were both terrible. That reporter is Lucy, Jude Heartfilia's daughter. You know, our _boss_?"

 _"_ _REALLY!?"_ Natsu's jaw was now dropped as far as it could go while Laxus let out another chuckle.

"Man you really are an idiot. She's a senior at that _Magnolia Heights Prep High School_ on the east side of town. She only comes here to do some stupid journalism crap from school"

Natsu quit listening after he heard _Magnolia Heights Prep._

 _"_ _No way…THAT'S WENDY'S NEW HIGH SCHOOL!"_ He yelled to himself in inner thought as he looked back up to the box seats.

 _"_ _Hmmm…maybe she can help me?"_

* * *

Now, everyone inside the stadium was quickly evacuating their practice to enjoy a warm Friday evening. As all the players poured out of the building, Lucy Heartfilia returned to the upper floors to see her dad in his large back space office.

"Okay I am _not_ riding with dad to the stadium for the rest of the season. He always takes soo much time in his office I never get home on…" She shook her head and walked through the halls until she found a very bizarre pink haired point guard asleep by her father's door.

"Time… _Agh_ …Natsu?"

"Wha…? OH THERE YOU ARE!" The FBA player woke up in a burst of energy as he sprung to his feet. "HA! I knew I'd find ya here!"

Lucy froze with fear as she stood in place. "Oh-kay then, why are you looking for me?"

Nats smiled. "First I wanna chew ya out for lying to me about being Ol' Jude's daughter!"

"WAIT I NEVER LIED TO YOU ABOUT…!?" She yelled with rage until Natsu interrupted.

"But anyway, I came ta' see you about something else. You know how we have a game Monday right?"

"Yea, I know." Lucy replied with a sorry voice. It was the first away game of the season, and also the first game during a school night, which means she wasn't going to be able to attend.

Natsu smiled again. "Well listen. I enrolled my little sister into that Magnolia Heights Prep School of yours, and she's feelin' kinda nervous about starting out."

Lucy stopped looking angry and let out a real smile. "Oh that's so exciting! She'll love it, no doubt! What's her name, and what grade is she in?"

"Uh, Wendy…" Natsu replied. "She's…gonna be a freshman."

"Oh…ouch." Lucy looked sorry. "I don't blame her. That _is_ kind of terrifying."

She would have said more but then Natsu leaned in and grabbed her by the arms, which caught Lucy of guard and force another unwanted blush.

The pink haired boy then looked her in the eyes and carried out his explanation.

"Well listen, I'm gonna need a favor from ya…!"

* * *

 **Okay that was a pretty good transition chapter. Gajeel and Levy made each other smile, while Erza and Jellal still seem to be struggling with the term " _communication."_**

 **No Gray, Bora, or Juvia here, but the Fairies in the tavern seem to be exclusively drinking their sorrows away.**

 **Also, Wendy made me sad, hopefully Natsu will find a way to brighten her spirits!**

 **Then, we bring it to Lucy and Natsu! And it appears he has a _new idea_...new chapter next time!**


	10. 10 - Wendy's First Day

**Author's note: Okay this chapter was a little difficult for me to write. I really enjoy reading all kinds of Fairy Tail AUs, but there is one genre I always find myself steering away from...the _cliche high school_ one.**

 **However, I had to put my pride on the shelf and write a scene in high school...apologies if it stinks, fell free to leave more reviews.**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Ten - Wendy's First Day

* * *

Wendy stood inside her own bathroom and looked into the mirror. She had on her brand new Magnolia Heights Prep uniform that included a white shirt and dark blue skirt along with black shoes and two long pony tails on either side of her head. She had just finished brushing her teeth, but didn't want to leave the warmth of her bathroom, or for that matter her brother's apartment altogether.

 _"_ _It's not that I'm not thankful for moving here. The city is really neat, and I really like the idea of just me and Natsu now…but, this new high school just has me on edge."_

She was hoping her brother would actually be there to take her to school, but since he road out yesterday to his game down in Cait Shelter, Wendy had to resort to riding a bus. Finally, after eating a tiny meal of toast and orange juice, Wendy packed her tiny backpack and headed out the door. Once she got down to the street she looked around in a confusing manor, until a very large yellow bus with several wind scuffs along the paint rolled up to the nearest sign labeled "Bus Stop."

Wendy just assumed it was for city buses, but this one was clearly from a school, so she decided to walk on and wait for it to stop and pick her up. As the doors swung open she was greeted by a fowl faced driving. "Hurry up, we don't have all day."

Wendy reared her head as she climbed the stairs, and when she got on, something didn't feel right.

The kids were all roughly her age, but none of them had on her uniform. Finally, some of the back seat kids snickered in silence as the bus driver actually turned to see Wendy was not in the right place.

"Oh for the love of…sorry Miss, this is the wrong bus for you. I'm taking these little brats to Magnolia High, not Heights Prep."

Wendy couldn't see the bus driver as her bangs covered her vision. She held her head down to try and hide her embarrassed face. "O-Oh…w-well I'm soooo s-sorry for stopping you…" She slowly turned around and walked off the bus as a shaking mess.

"Poor freshman." The bus driver sighed and closed the door to begin the next leg of her journey. Wendy assumed kids were giving her dirty or comedic looks, but she never bothered to look back up as a new more elaborate bus began driving up.

However, before it got close to her block, she noticed a business woman leaving a city taxi cab, and before the bus came to do its job, Wendy decided to make a new decision.

"Eh…it'll be less embarrassing for me."

* * *

And so as Wendy and her new random friend drove to the fancy, brand new school in West Magnolia, the driver stopped off by the entrance and gave her a cheery smile in the rear view window.

"Okay Miss here we are at you…school?" He looked with a confused expression.

Wendy knew it was a stupid, impulsive idea to not ride the bus, but she wasn't ready for forced socialization. "Okay, a-and I owe you…?"

She trembled as she reached into her back pack to pull out her hand bag, but before she got it the driver laughed. "Hey now, let's just say this one's on the house…enjoy your first day, kid."

Wendy looked up and smiled back. "Wow! Thank you so much!" She then climbed out of the yellow cab and waved goodbye as he drove off.

Then, as Wendy turned around she noticed a lot of students were outside looking at her. None of them gave her dirty looks, but they all had very, very confused looks on their faces.

One very tall boy who was standing near her slowly spoke up. "Dude, did you just take a cab to school?"

Wendy was hesitant in her reply to the obviously older senior. "Um…yea."

The kid laughed. "Hah, that's awesome." And he walked away with his friends, and soon after every kid on the green returned to their normal routine.

"Hehe." Wendy laughed to herself. "At least no one's really mean to me yet…"

* * *

Now, it was first period, the kids were all in the classes, and the bell had just rung. Wendy had just barely made it to her classroom and now stood in front of the class.

She waited for her home room teacher to direct her to a new seat. This woman was pretty young for a teacher, and appeared to be in her mid to late 20s. She had dark black hair and wore maroon-framed glasses with a white blouse and black skirt as she stood up to address the class.

"Okay well everyone this here is Wendy Dragneel. I doubt any of you recognize her from middle school, because Wendy transferred here from another school entirely." She then gave Wendy a sweet smile and continued. "So Wendy I heard you live with your brother?"

Wendy looked very anxious to reply. "U-um yea. He's kind of a busy guy though..."

Then a random girl up front spoke up. "Um, did I see you get out of a cab today before school?"

Wendy heard one person laugh in the back and froze on her feet. Then the teacher spoke up.

"Excuse me kids, but I think you all need to watch what kind of questions you ask."

The girl sank down in her chair. "Sorry _Ms. Milkovich…"_

The teacher, now identified as Ms. Milkovich then turned back to Wendy. "Well, I hope you're excited for your first day her at Magnolia Heights! There are a few open seats around the room, but I can go ahead and let you choose which one you'd like to…"

 _*KNOCK*_

Everyone turned to the door as they could hear three girls giggling outside. Ms. Milkovich raised an eyebrow and opened it revealing the three young ladies who looked much older than all the freshman in the class.

On had short blonde pigtails with brown eyes, while the second had brownish copper eyes and a short white bob cut. Finally, the last girl had bright pink hair tied back in a high pony tail and pretty green eyes as they all came in with great big smiles on their faces.

"Oh _Meldy,_ what are you guys doing here?" The teacher asked with an annoyed tone. "I'm trying to start class."

The pink haired girl let out a grin as she held several flyers in her hand. "Come on _Sis,_ we're just here to take photos for the yearbook! It _is_ the first day of classes after all!"

Wendy looked confused. _"Sis? They don't even look alike…?"_

The teacher then shook her head and sat down. "Fine, just do it quick."

Meldy looked very ornery with a smile back to her "sister" as she began handing out the flyers. "Okay this will be quick everyone! We're here to let you all know about the wonderful clubs here on campus! But if you're _really_ looking for something fun to do, please check out the yearbook staff!"

The girl with white hair held up a camera as she softly smiled to the young audience. "Yes, we have a lot of fun recapping the year as it passes by, and it even looks good on a resume when it's time to leave your senior year!"

Finally, the blonde girl stood up and gave everyone a smile. "Also, we came to get a few pictures for this year too! We like to get the first year class as many pictures as we can, just to let them feel welcomed!" She then looked to her friend. "Okay, Yukino why don't you…wait…first of all is everyone cool with having their picture taken?"

The class of freshman was totally silent. The boys all had blushes and tried to hide their faces from the three cute seniors, while all the freshman girls were playing with their hair and sitting up in their desks.

Yukino began snapping pictures as Lucy smiled. "Hehe, I take the awkward silence as a _no_ …okay so let's just get a few…" She scanned the room until she saw a very shy blue haired girl standing in front of the teacher's desk.

 _"_ _Perfect."_ She said in her mind. _"He was right, this was her home room…"_

Then, the blonde gestured at Wendy. "Yukino I think _her_ hair will really shine on camera!"

Wendy was very confused by the whole experience she had no idea how to respond. "U-um…you like my hair?"

The blonde nodded. "Oh yea! It's _really_ pretty! I like how you styled it too!"

Suddenly, Wendy noticed the female students all began judging Wendy in a much _friendlier_ light, thanks to help from the very trendy senior girl and her random compliments.

" _Cheese!_ Oops sorry!" The white haired girl took the picture, but never waited for Wendy to get ready.

Lucy took the camera and shrugged as she looked at the image. "Hey I like the natural look. You'd look good either way so it won't matter." She then pulled out a pen and paper. "Real quick, your name is…?"

"Uh Wendy?" the timid girl replied. "I-I'm new here…"

The blonde's eyes lit up like stars. "OH! You're _Natsu's_ sister!" She acted as if she didn't already know that. "Well, it's rare to see us get the sister of a famous FBA player here in Magnolia Heights…"

Ms. Milkovich shook her head. "Say's the daughter of the owner…Lucy I'm not sure what you guys are doing but you're really wasting my time."

Lucy gave the teacher a smile of innocence and bowed. "Okay, sorry for your trouble!" She then waved to the class. "Good luck everyone! Welcome to Heights Prep!"

As the three left the room, Ms. Milkovich continued. "Well I apologize for my younger sister and her little club. However, she does have an awful lot of fun with the yearbook so I do encourage you all to look at joining it or another activity here at school. Anyway…Wendy you can go ahead and find a…"

"She can sit with us!" Said the girl from before and her giddy friends.

"No she can sit here!" Said a pack of boys in the middle of the room.

Wendy had no idea who to sit with now, until a seat on the edge had no one waving their hands around it. "Um…I'll just sit on the end here."

Ultear smiled and nodded. "Sounds great! Well I hope you enjoy your new school…Now everyone it's time to take out the sheet of paper sitting on your desk. They're the new school rules, so be sure you know them front to back!"

* * *

Now it was half way through the day, and a good majority of the school used this hour to eat lunch. Wendy had just walked through the line and now wondered aimlessly around the wide open cafeteria.

 _"_ _Gee, it's so big…I see some kids from my first class. Maybe I should try and sit with them…?"_ She was still having trouble with her day, but wasn't letting it stop her here.

As she tried to make a decision, a familiar cheery voiced yelled from a very central table.

"Oh Wendy! You eat during this hour too!?"

Wendy turned to find that familiar Lucy girl waving at her. Beside her were four other girls. Two of them Wendy recognized as Yukino and Meldy, but the others had hot pink hair, and looked to be awfully related.

Wendy slowly crept over to their table. "Um yea. I was looking for a…"

"Well we don't mind if you sit with us!" Lucy slapped the empty space across the table right between the two girls with hot pink hair.

Wendy let out an unwanted smile of inner joy and took her seat. "Wow, thanks. You guys are really nice."

Meldy looked over and smiled. "Well there's nothing fun about being mean, is there?"

The taller girl to Wendy's left spoke next. "Yes, and after all this is the best table you can sit at. Not everyone in this school gets lovely offers to sit with _us_."

Lucy rolled her eyes at the girl with long and wavy hot pink hair. "Sherry, for the last time we're not pushing the whole "click-y" thing this year. This senior class is different, it's way too tacky, and besides no one even…"

"I dunno. Everyone seems to linger near us…a lot of _boys_ at least." Said the girl to Wendy's right, who seemed to be nicer and closer to her own age.

Yukino sighed. "Well, they're all kind of silly, Sherria, so we try not to acknowledge them."

Meldy gave a few some winks as they walked by. "I dunno, I kinda think it's cute." She laughed and played with her hair.

Sherry smiled and looked to Lucy. "Yea, except high school boys are totally lame…on the other hand we'd all like some of those younger boys in the FBA, wouldn't we…?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "For the last time, I'm not hooking any of you up with the players…heck I don't even have that kind of power?!" She then looked to smile at Wendy. "But on the plus side one of their sisters is here right now!"

Wendy smiled. "Oh yea. My name's Wendy Dragneel. I'm Natsu's brother."

Sherry slammed her hands on the table. "SHUT UP! _THE_ Natsu Dragneel!? Ohhh he's so hot! He was all over the nation back at Acalypha!"

Meldy began playing with her hair again. "Yea, the Fairies drafted Gray too…he's so _dreamy_."

Yukino then snapped her fingers. "Oh didn't Elfman get drafted their as well? He went here, didn't he?"

Lucy smiled. "Yep! …Although I can't say they're looking really impressive. They have a game tonight, so things might change." Lucy then let this move her into a new topic. "So Wendy, did Natsu sound pretty excited about his game tonight?"

Wendy shook her head. "I'm not really sure. He left yesterday, and he seemed pretty normal. It was kinda funny, he wasn't here to take me to school this morning so I had to ride a taxi!"

All the girls dropped their forks and drinks and looked to Wendy, and Yukino looked horrified. "T-That's _awful_. Wasn't there a bus to pick you up?"

Wendy regretted ever opening her mouth. She now felt embarrassed for being too open to her new friends. "U-Uhm yea, but it was the wrong one…"

Lucy's eye began to twitch. "So you're saying Natsu _didn't_ have a plan for you to get to school…?"

Wendy looked really confused at her anger. "Um, no I guess not. Why?"

Lucy remembered hearing his concern from Saturday to try and give Wendy an easy first day, but he never told her the poor girl needed a ride to school.

"Well, I'm gonna have a little _talk_ with him when he gets back tomorrow…as for your school rides don't worry. Any day he's not there to take you one of us can."

Wendy let out a big smile as Sherria spoke next. "OH YEA! Sherry and I can drive you home today! I wanna see where you live! It sounds like it's down town! Ooo those big apartment buildings look sooo fancy!"

Wendy nodded. "Okay! That sounds amazing! Maybe if we're lucky the game will be in TV!"

* * *

Now, we find ourselves away from Magnolia and down on the southern coast of Fiore. Instead of riding on a large private jet, the Fairies found themselves riding a stuffy charter bus through the sprawling streets of Cait Shelter as they made their way around town.

"Man this is so lame!" Natsu moaned as he slammed his head into the seat in front of him. "I thought Jude was going to take us on his jet!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Natsu you talked with Lucy Saturday, and she told you her and her dad weren't going!"

Natsu then sat up and laughed. "Hehe, Oh yea. I hope she's helpin' my sister out on her first day at school!"

Elfman turned around. "Oh did she start up? Eh she'll be fine, that's the best school in the nation. Everyone's real friendly."

Gray added on. "Yea, but I bet your sis is probably bummed to miss tonight's game. Maybe she'll be able to watch it on TV."

Natsu scratched his chin. "Yea, maybe…hey Jellal, I heard we're not actually playing Cait Shelter tonight? You know the league pretty well, ya mind explaining something?"

Jellal sat up and turned around. "You're right, there is no team referred to as Cait Shelter in the FBA. The franchise changed their name and image over the off season."

Gray looked curious. "So what are they now?"

Jellal scowled. "They're called the _Oración Seis."_

Elfman shook with confusion. "Man that sounds creepier than Tartaros!"

Natsu on the other hand howled. "Ahaha! Like that energy drink company! Man that stuff stinks! They have that gross _Nirvana_ stuff that really wrecks you!"

Jellal nodded. "Yes, well the owner is also the CEO of The _Oración Energy Drink_ Company, and he decided to plaster his name on their new jersey."

Gray still wasn't satisfied. "Hold on, what's with the _seis_ then?"

Jellal closed his eyes. "He renamed the team name because he fired his entire front office, and all his bench players. Now he and his five players are left alone."

Natsu sat up. "HUH!? That's crazy! Why would ya fire everyone!?"

Jellal scowled as he remembered his interview with the very rude Brain. "Because the owner is sadistic. He's so confident with his new team he believes it will only take 6 people to win a championship."

Natsu howled again. "Oh that's a load bull crap! This guy sounds like he's askin to lose!"

Gray nodded and turned to look out the window. "Yea, I agree. This league is really full of crazy people…"

As the bus stopped, Gray's eyes met up with a car in the next lane. He then noticed a familiar face in the driver's seat and saw the cocky Bora Sinclair driving through down town. It appears Bora drove in to watch the Fairies in their away game as well.

 _"_ _Hehe, like I said. Crazy pe…huh?"_

He kept his thoughts quiet as he the saw a second person in the car with Bora, only this was not the ditsy blue haired girlfriend from back home. This girl had long flowing white hair and deep blue eyes. Sort of like Elfman's sister, but she had a very different face, and she appeared to be giggling about something Bora said.

Gray noticed they both had business suits on, but either way he was a little uneasy with their grinning faces.

 _"_ _Mgh…I don't like the looks of that."_

* * *

 **Uh-oh, Gray spotted something peculiar...maybe he should keep his nose out of it?**

 **Also, I hope Wendy enjoyed her first day of school! Lucy and the gang were so friendly to her...but now Lucy needs to give Natsu a little talk when he gets back. (Also I added a lot of new characters to this one, so tell me what you thought of all the new cameos!)**

 **Chapter 11 next. It'll be game #2 for the Fairies, and probably some fluff since I don't see the entire chapter being dedicated to the game.**


	11. 11 - Round Two?

**Author's Note: Okay, so here's the second game. I'm not going to lie...I was really really torn between choosing the out come for this one. Either way I have my reasons, and I hope you enjoy.**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Eleven - Round Two?

* * *

It was finally Monday evening, and the first day of school at Magnolia Heights Prep had officially ended. After school let out, Wendy suggested watching the game with some of her new friends, however to her luck Lucy went ahead and made an offer they couldn't refuse.

"Oh wow I can't believe you and your dad let us in here to watch the game!" Medly cheered while clapping her hands as the group of friends sat in the middle section of the completely empty South Gate Arena in downtown Magnolia.

They all helped themselves to tiny snacks as the scoreboard/videoboard that hung above center court was beginning to broadcast FBA games, but more specifically the showdown between the _Magnolia Fairies_ and the new franchise the _Oración Seis._

Wendy smiled and agreed with her new, elder friend. "Yea this is so amazing! To think I was just planning on watching it back at my apartment."

Sherry grinned as she kicked her feet up. "Yea? Well you're in luck with this group. We're always watching the FBA games now a days."

Sherria, her little sister had to explain. "Yea, but to be honest Lucy and Yukino are the only ones who try to like it for the sports. The rest of us sort of just like looking at the players more than the game…"

Yukino let out a soft blush as she sat on the end. "W-well I mean I'd be lying if I wasn't enjoying that too. I can only thank Lucy for actually getting me interested in the sport itself."

Meldy giggled. "Yea, true that. Lucy you're kind of a dork sometimes."

Lucy smiled, knowing she was only teasing. "Well I pride myself in that aspect of my life…"

Sherry then looked up to the large TV. "Oh Lucy. We know you have a crush on at least some of these boys plying ball. This sport isn't that great to keep you locked away in this stadium half the year."

Meldy then tapped her chin. "Wait, did you date that one kid from Magnolia U a few years back. He played basketball, but I don't remember his name…?"

Lucy sat up. "Ahaha and you _won't_. I don't like to talk about that…" She then looked to her new friend before her old ones could continue harassing her. "So Wendy! Were you at Natsu's first game?"

Wendy smiled. "Yea, he got me seats in one of the boxes over on that side of the stadium. It was really cool."

Lucy frowned. "Did you have somebody to watch with, or were you by yourself?"

Wendy nodded. "Oh, my aunt P came in Saturday to watch, but she probably won't see too many more games."

Lucy waved her hands. "Well listen, I sit in this box seat every home game with my dad and the GM. If you're ever looking to go we'd love to have you."

Wendy let a little tint of red cross her cheeks as she smiled with excitement. "Really? That'd be amazing! Thanks!"

From there the girls enjoyed a night of laughter and athletics as the FBA games of the night fell under way.

* * *

Now, we go across the town of Magnolia, inside a fairly large apartment complex in the downtown section of the city.

Here, Juvia Lockster sits in a set of all blue pajamas and enjoys a tiny bowl of ice cream as she waits for the exact same game to come on. However, in addition to the game she also held a text book of sorts on her lap. It appeared to have images and descriptions for cooking lessons all over it.

"Oh I'm not looking forward to that exam tomorrow night…I just hope it's going to be multiple choice like our instructor said it would be." To be honest, when Juvia asked Bora for money to go on vacation, it wasn't the _only_ money she needed.

Because of his very long days and nights in his office, Juvia had decided to pick up a few online classes from the local Magnolia University. She had to take out a few private (secret) loans to fund her little ambition, but in the end she was hoping it would help her achieve a new path to the culinary arts.

Juvia really enjoyed cooking, but she was never very good at it. After she started dating Bora, she tested a few of her first ever meals on him and he loved them more than anything. The only problem was she only knew a couple of good dishes, and the others were pretty lousy. As a result the girlfriend of a very successful entrepreneur became awfully inspired to form her own dream of becoming a chef for a restaurant. She always hated the fact that he worked and she stayed at home, and she really wanted to give back to him for being such a supportive boyfriend. Therefore, Juvia had decided to let her little secret stay in the shadows until she passed her classes and earned a certificate or degree.

However, despite her impending exam she was having a hard time focusing on her text. "Oh I can't wait to see if Magnolia can win again…I mean there are a few _other_ reasons why I'm watching this game…" She smiled as she reminisced about her favorite hunky small forward playing for the Fairies.

Yet, despite her free roaming mind, the next scene the pre-game camera caught gave her a little smile. It showed her loving boyfriend Bora sitting alone along the court sideline. Whenever he had to visit other branches of his company he always made sure to schedule meetings to match the location of his favorite team's games. As mentioned before Bora sold boats, but more specifically _very expensive_ ones such as yachts and deep sea fishing boats. Luckily for him Cait Shelter is right off the coast of the northern sea, and gave him a very large opportunity to house a branch of his company down along its local docks and marinas.

Then, the camera moved and returned to a shooting Natsu and angry Gajeel in warm ups. Juvia sighed and held her hand on her heart. "Oh well. I hope for Bora the Fairies can win this game…"

* * *

However, despite her mind being at ease, something seemed a _bit off._ Once the camera left Bora's seating area, the same white haired girl Gray found in Bora's car came to take her seat beside the man. She was dressed in a very expensive white blouse and navy blue pants with matching high heels as she crossed legs and gave him a suggestive smile. Her deep blue eyes and white hair matched her outfit perfectly, and her smile suggested she had known Bora for a while.

"Well, Bora at first I was a little ticked off that you took me to a basketball game, but now I'm actually a little excited." She smiled and winked as they shared an armrest.

The shady man nodded and took a sip of water. "Well, _Sorano_ I'm glad I got you to meet me on this trip. I would have hated leaving you down at the Cait Shelter office while I had all this fun. After all you are a _very valuable_ asset to the company…" They gave each other very friendly smiles as the stadium began to fill up more, and the two teams began to exit their warm ups.

However, as the Fairies took their place across the court at their bench, Gray kept his eyes on his familiar acquaintance. He then looked to Gajeel. "Hey man, that Bora guy that loves you so much. Is he dating that quiet blue haired girl?"

Gajeel had to jog his memory. "Oh, that nut job Bora? How should I know? …I guess they're around each other a lot."

Gray never pointed over to Bora's seat as he kept up his concern. "Okay man…just thought I'd ask."

"OKAY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR THE FIRST HOME GAME IN FRANCHISE HISTORY!"

The crowd erupted as the man who used to be Brain's assistant let out another yell over the intercom. "AS YOU KNOW, OUR FORMER _CAIT SHELTER CHIEFTANS_ HAVE RECENTLY BEEN REDESIGNED INTO A NEW AND EXCITING TEAM! SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADEU, HERE THEY ARE! YOU'RE VERY OWN _ORACIÓN SEIS!"_

Natsu growled as the fans went nuts. "Man this is bull! Why doesn't he announce _our_ names!?"

The announcer continued. "AT POINT GUARD. HE HAS THE FASTEST HANDS IN THE LEAGUE. GIVE IT UP FOR _THE_ ERIK GREENE!"

Fans lost it as a red haired player with the number 1 and the name "COBRA" printed on his jersey came onto the field. Natsu let out a chuckle. "Great, these idiots have their own nicknames plastered on their jerseys, too. Talk about lame."

"UP NEXT, HE'S THE SON OF YOU'RE NEW COACH AND OWNER, AND HE ALSO HAS THE FORMER FRANCHISE RECORD FOR MOST POINTS PER GAME, GIVE IT UP FOR _MACBETH CAPRICCIO_!"

Then, a very pail man with semi-long black hair came out with the number 2 and the name "MIDNIGHT" on his jersey.

"UP NEXT, COMES A PLAYER NOT NATIVE TO FIORE! HE'S KNOWN TO HAVE FASTEST FEET OF ALL POWER FORWARDS, LET'S HERE IT FOR _ERIGOR EISNEWALD!_

Then, a very scary looking man with pail white hair and blank eyes emerged wearing a #3 and the name "REAPER" on his jersey.

"OUR FOURTH PLAYER CONTINUES THIS STREAK OF QUICK BALLERS! HE IS WITHOUT OF DOUBT THE FASTEST PLAYER IN THE SPORT! HE MAY EVEN BE THE MOST ATHLETIC MAN I'VE EVER SEEN PLAY THE GAME! PLEASE GET ON YOUR FEET FOR _SAWYER MAJIMA!"_

This fourth player held a number 4 on his jersey and had the name "RACER" above it, while also sporting spiky blonde hair and a slim metal chin strap and goggles.

"FINALLY, HERE HE IS, THE TALLEST MAN YOU WILL HAPPEN TO FIND IN THE FBA! STAND UP AND CHEER FOR THE ONE AND ONLY _RICHARD BUCHANAN!"_

Finally, the last player had the number 5, and held the name "HOTEYE" on his jersey as he also wore a very poufy head of orange hair, and a very thin moustache over his lip.

The Seis dressed in all black jerseys with accents of dark red, while the fairies wore their scarlet red away jerseys with white and yellow strip down the sides.

Everyone took their places as Makarov yelled to the court. "OKAY YOU NUMBSKULLS! TRY PLAYING WITH PATEINCE TONIGHT!"

Gajeel grinned. "Ain't nothing to worry about, old man. We're all agreeing it's time to get a win for Magnolia."

Laxus shared his mentality, but didn't show it as he met the familiar Mest at the center circle, along with Hoteye across the half court line.

"Well I must say, let the better team win! _Oh Yea!"_

Laxus rolled his eyes to the only friendly looking Seis member. "Yea sure, Richard, or Hoteye…man I'm not sure what to call you freaks anymore."

Mest let out a smirk as the whistle hit his mouth and threw the ball in the air. Laxus barely missed it again as Hoteye reached out and grabbed it with his overly large hands.

"Here it is Cobra! _Oh Yea!"_ He tossed it to his smirking Point Guard as Natsu met up with the Seis player on his front.

"So tell me, why'd ya change your name to that stupid energy drink crap?" Natsu asked without hesitation.

Cobra laughed. "HA! Man I heard you were dumb Salamander, but damn, you think this is a tea party or something?" He smiled and crossed the ball over, faking the rookie out and whizzing down the mid court.

Luckily, Gajeel stepped in and delivered a hand. "Tea Party? HA! You Idiots need to work on your insults!" Gajeel roared as he violently stepped into knock the ball out of Cobra's arms, but sadly he forgot the fact that he was once again playing too physical.

"Dumb Ass." Laxus silently spoke as the other ref blew his whistle.

"Foul on number #11, Redfox. First foul for Magnolia!" The more serious looking ref with glasses and brown hair looked to the score table and left his signals as Cobra stood up.

"Ah come on! Are you blind!? I was going for the rim! That's at least two shots!" He yelled as Gajeel tried making a defense.

"Lahar that was the right call." Mest said as he took the ball. "Seis gets the inbounds here." He stepped off the court and waited for Cobra to stand at his side.

"Fine. I'll get it in without you idiots." He smiled as he looked right for Hoteye.

"…Here it is!" He then crossed field and landed the ball right in Midnight's hands.

The pale looking shooter let out a sinister grin as he smiled. "Ha, this was almost too…" He went up, but a large hand swatted the ball and knocked it to the center ring. Then the body attached to the hand ran to it, grabbed the ball, and quickly let in a layup with the other nine players following from behind.

"OH MY!" The shocked Seis announcer yelled. "LAXUS DREYAR FORCES A TURN OVER AND GETS THE FAIRIES THEIR FIRST LEAD OF THE SEASON!"

"HEHE! ALRIGHT!" Natsu smiled and raised his hand to high five his Center, but he blonde scorer was having none of it.

"Just don't let Cobra run right past you, okay?"

Natsu scowled back to Laxus as he ran down court. Then the ball came in and Cobra brought it back down to the Fairy side of the field.

"Man, you little pixies must be kiddin yourselves if you think that dunk is gonna save you." Cobra said with a smirk.

Natsu glared back at him. "Just come on! Ain't no way I'm falling for the same move twice!"

Cobra raised an eye brow. "How dumb do you think I am?" He then looked to Racer running around the high arc. Quickly enough, he delivered a swift pass to the running Small Forward, who darted around dribbling the ball with Gray right on his tail.

"AGH! HE'S SO DAMN FAST!" Gray yelled as he tried keeping up with Racer.

"Hehe." Sawyer smiled. "You fools are always the same. You try to keep up with me, but in the end you fail!" He then darted back a step and delivered the ball to Midnight.

Midnight made no comment this time as he sent the ball up and delivered a beautifully arched 3 pointer to take the lead by one.

Fans cheered and the announcer rang out again as Laxus, Gajeel, and a very upset Jellal ran down court. Gray was still recovering from his metaphoric broken ankles as Natsu helped him back up.

"Come on, this party ain't over yet."

* * *

Shot after shot, foul after foul, dunk after dunk, and cheer after cheer. The score changed every single possession, and if one team ever got lucky enough to hold a two possession lead, the opposing team came in and adjusted their play to keep it level.

Now, we find ourselves in the final 30 seconds of play. The Fairies find themselves down by 5 points, and the shot clock is still a factor due to it being at 24. Both teams are out of time outs, and every player reemerges back onto the field as Fairy Tail uses their last one.

All the Fairies looked ready to play, with the exception of Laxus who was having a hard time coping with his team's good but sloppy style of play.

Natsu followed him and looked him in the eye. "Hey man, what's your deal?!"

Laxus squinted his eyes. "Natsu I'd wait til after the game if you wanna…"

"OH CUT THE CRAP!" He yelled back to the much taller center. "WE'RE 30 SECONDS AWAY FROM GETTING YOUR FAVORITE TEAM A BIG WIN!"

Erza looked from the sideline with wide open eyes as she turned down to Makarov, who silently kept his passive stare up to Natsu.

Laxus looked speechless. "My favorite…?"

The fiery Point Guard kept it up. "AND BELIEVE ME WHEN WE DO IT, YOU AIN'T GETTING A LICK OF CREDIT WITH _THAT_ KINDA ATTITUDE!"

Gray, Gajeel and Jellal stopped walking as they all looked to the confrontation, and Gray spoke up. "Hey guys save it til the game's over…"

Natsu looked to Gray. "NO I WON'T! YA KNOW WHAT!? EVERONE OF YA COME HERE!"

Gajeel looked just as pissed as Laxus, but followed Jellal, Gray and the bench Fairies as they all took a huddle. Erza and Makarav remained outside to watch.

Natsu took the inside for himself. "Now I don't know how it felt to play on this _crappy_ team last year, but I watched you guys every single game." He now got angry eyes from the veterans. "Believe me it wasn't easy, but every time you guys lost, I saw every one of ya lose the fire as each game went by!"

No one said a word as he went on. "Then you got _Tartaros_ , _Saber City_ , and all these other teams who get whatever they want just cause they win! WHY THE HELL CAN'T THAT BE US!?"

Nothing.

"When I walked in to Crocus on Draft night I had _32 teams_ lookin' my way, but only _one_ of them had my attention! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK IT WAS!?"

Jet spoke out in silence. "The...Fairies?"

Natsu looked him in the eye. "WHO?"

Jet, and now Droy and Elfman spoke with a little more confidence. "The _Fairies!_ "

 _"_ _WHO!?"_ Natsu now turned to everyone else, expecting the same energy and answer.

"THE _FAIRIES!"_ Replied everyone but a smiling Gajeel and a serious Laxus.

"I _STILL_ CAN'T HEAR YOU!?" Natsu chimed back with anger.

They _gave_ him something to hear. "THE _FAIRIES!"_

Natsu roared at the top of his lungs. "WELL HOW STRONG ARE YOU _FAIRIES_!?"

Bickslow decided to make a joke. "Ha! _Way_ too strong!"

Natsu couldn't keep a straight face, and let out a laugh as he raised an eyebrow and replied. " _HOW_ STRONG!?"

Elfman ate Bickslow's answer right up. " _TOO_ STRONG!"

Natsu still wasn't impressed. " _HOW_ STRONG!?"

Everyone else liked the answer too. " _TOO_ SRONG!"

" _HOW_ STRONG!?"

" _TOO_ STRONG!"

This carried on as the opposing crowd began to boo and the refs started blowing the whistle, yet as the Fairies kept yelling, Gajeel looked to Laxus.

"Hey, the kid has the fire now."

Laxus closed his eyes and held his hand in the middle. "Okay...it's about time the Fairies went in there and kicked some ass."

The team broke with a cheer and re-emerged onto the field as Gray went to inbound the ball. Mest handed Gray the ball and as he threw it in to Natsu, the fiery Point Guard took it down the court.

Cobra tried to hold in a laugh as he looked Natsu in the eye. "Glad to see the cheerleaders finished their little moment."

Natsu never gave him an answer as he dribbled the ball.

"Kid, do you really think you're still in college? No one give a shit if they win or lose here, it's all about getting paid and getting on camera."

Natsu never replied as he scanned his own players for a move. The clock was ticking into the 20s.

Cobra let out a smirk. "HA! WELL MAYBE I'LL JUST KNOCK YOU BACK TO THE LITTLE LEAGUE!" He stepped up and swiped at the ball, but Natsu had gotten better as the game progressed and quickly switched hands as he dribbled by Cobra with ease.

Sadly he wasn't going to be fast enough for an approaching Racer on his position. As a result he passed it inward to the towering Laxus, who looked awfully impressed to receive a ball from Natsu.

Without any hesitation, he passed it back to a semi-tall Gajeel, who had no effort fending off Erigor and Midnight. Yet, he knew his shot was usually poor, and both teams still had a foul to give so he knew to expect contact when driving it in.

As a result, Gajeel faked out the Seis and delivered a pass to Gray Fullbuster, who had earned a lot more confidence in his style of play. Thanks to Racer not being on his man, Gray found an opening, but sadly he had to pass it off because Racer was after all the league's fastest player.

Finally, Jellal took the pass, and without Midnight standing in front of him he obviously went up for a shot. However, as he released, Cobra came up and tried to knock the ball out of his hands, but since the ball had already made its ascent, the refs blew their whistles and the entire court fell silent watching the ball float to the rim.

After taking it's time in mid-air, it rolled in the net with a silky smooth swish and secured a go ahead 3 pointer, yet with the ref's whistles, Jellal went to the line.

"AH THAT'S BULL SHIT MEST!" Yelled a very angry Cobra who really had no argument to make. Luckily for him swearing doesn't earn you a technical in the FBA.

"Shut it!" Yelled the very quiet but angry Brain from the empty Seis sideline. "Just watch the turn around." Despite the possible 4 point play, Brain still knew his team would be up by a single point.

The fans booed and yelled as Laxus and Gajeel lined up on the box lines. Jellal focused with his one shot as his teammates and coaches were watching.

 _"_ _Oh please let him make this…"_ Thought the very concerned assistant coach, Erza. _"If he scores here, we can force a turn over and take the lead…"_

Jellal couldn't think like that and had to focus on the now. As roars came from the fans, he silently dribbled the ball a couple of times, and lifted his hands upward to make his shot.

Laxus stood by and never felt his heart beat this fast in his life as the ball soared up and passed through the hoop without touching the net. The scoreboard changed into 89-88.

Now, Cobra and Racer let out a smirk as the Fairies took the other end of the court. 12 seconds remained on the clock as Cobra took the ball and slowly dribbled it down, but as he did Natsu ran up and tagged him on the arm.

"Foul on #00!" Yelled Mest. This gave Magnolia their final team foul and sent the Seis into the bonus. Luckily however, this last foul took the ball to the side line.

Laxus observed the new set up and grinned. _"This is much better…normally it's bad when they get the ball closer to the rim, but now he has all of us to take defense…"_ He then looked to a determined Natsu lined up to guard Cobra.

 _"_ _Nice job, little man."_

Then, Laxus took his place by Hoteye and waited for Erigor to inbound the ball. The Reaper kept a pealed eye on the court and noticed only 10 seconds remained. He then smiled and passed it to the very tall Hoteye, who had no problem palming the ball while he held it back to try and draw contact.

"Well, I must say it's a shame to see you Fairies lose this way." He said with a supportive smile.

Laxus let out a grin. " _Oh yea_ , I totally agree."

Hoteye blinked twice. "HEY WAIT THAT'S MY…!?" He stopped as Laxus repeated his catch phrased and failed to draw a foul as Laxus swiped his hand and sent it to the center court.

Everyone scrambled for the ball, yet somehow by a random stroke of luck, Racer's speed didn't catch up to his hands and the ball tipped off his nimble fingers and went to Gray.

Gray looked confused until Laxus let out a shouting command.

 _"_ _NATSU!"_

Without a second though, the rookie small forward looked down the court to see a lone head of fiery pink hair.

 _"_ _Agh damn it…"_ He mentally sighed knowing Natsu was the team's shortest player. _"…Don't screw this up Natsu."_

Either way, he had no choice as Cobra was too slow to meet the Salamander. As a result Gray hurled the ball down court as time quickly ticked off.

Natsu never let the smile leave his face as he grabbed the ball, twirled around, and jumped as high as his tiny feet could take him, quickly attempting his first ever dunk.

Getting the ball to the rim, the only thing Natsu remembered was smacking the hard ground on his hammer of a fall, and as the ball fell through the rim, a roar of angry Seis fans erupted.

Natsu's 9 teammates ran over to lift him to his feet, shouting and cheering hysterically as the game's final buzzer made its round.

* * *

 **Okay, I had them win. YAY! ... _Yay?_ I'm still not sure how I feel about it. If you couldn't tell, the first half of the chapter was written with the outcome of them losing. It's funny because I went in having the idea they'd lose, and they still won, so in a way I was faked out too! _Woo!_**

 **In any case this chapter captured what I wanted it to. Wendy getting closer with her senior friends, Juvia's back story was explained, Bora is sketchy, the Seis are ass holes, and the game was cool. The cheer Natsu did was cheesy, but it worked!**

 **Anyway, this means a lot for the Fairies! Natsu made his first dunk! I hope he survived the fall...next chapter coming soon!**


	12. 12 - A Welcome To Magnolia

**Author's Note: Hello! Here's chapter 12. No don't be confused by the title...**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Twelve - A Welcome to Magnolia

* * *

"HAHAHA! OH YEA I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ACTUALLY _WON_!"

Natsu cracked open a bottle of pre-purchased champagne and let the foam pour out onto all his happy, yet angry friends.

Laxus rolled his eyes as he wiped the bubbly liquor off his face. "You idiot! That's for when we win a championship, not a random away game!"

Natsu took a big gulp and sighed with refreshing relief. "Man, who cares!? It sure feels like we won something big!"

"No kidding man! That was a pretty sick dunk you had!" Bickslow leaned over and high fived Natsu. "Even though you fell right on your ass afterword."

Gray let out a grin. "Yea Natsu, I'm surprised you could stand up after taking that hit."

Elfman let out a roaring yell. "Totally, it made you look like a _Real Man!_ "

Gajeel looked rather pleased at that. "Awe, was that his first dunk or something?"

Natsu shoved his fist in the power forward's face. "YEA MAYBE IT WAS! YOU GOTTA PROBLEM WITH…oh man…" He slowly fell to his knees as his stomach began to quiver.

"Oy, what the hell's wrong with him?" Gajeel looked at Gray.

The small forward shook his head. "The idiot drank too much while riding in a vehicle. He has this random habit of getting motion sickness…I guess he slept most of the way into town, and only woke up when we reached the city."

Natsu tried to speak for himself. "Y-yea…I'm good if I'm the one driving…or if we're moving slow like downtown or something…but not…oh man." He fell right back to the ground and dropped his bottle as it spilled to the back.

Gajeel raised his feet and let the liquid pass under him. He would have said something to the passed out Salamander, but a new text message came up on his phone.

 **"** **GOOD JOB GUYS! CONGRATS! :D"**

Gajeel had received all the cell numbers from every member of the organization prior to the first game, but seeing the team's perky and supportive GM send out a congratulatory message made him actually show a genuine smile.

"Hey, okay then…" He then sent back. **"thanks short stuff."** and finally rolled over to try and get some night time rest.

Now, the sticky alcohol had made its to the rear of the vehicle, and it was now in the vicinity of a very short tempered star Center.

"Agh." Laxus grunted as the sudsy champagne spilled into the back seating area. "Can't this idiot keep a lid on for one night?"

Freed grinned at his longtime friend. "Laxus please be patient…after all he just earned this team our biggest win in quite some time."

Laxus thought back to the play that set up Natsu's go ahead dunk, a turn over cause by himself as Hoteye fumbled it right into his hands.

Even then, Laxus smiled. "Yea, I guess you're right. Gray, Gajeel, even Natsu…I think all our newbies are ready to become true Fairy now…"

As everyone celebrated in the rear of the bus, three of the team members chose to sit closer to the front. Jellal shared his own space in the middle of the bus while Erza and Makarov stayed right in the front.

"Well, that was quite the game. I don't think we've ever won down in Cait Shelter since the days I played." Makarov sipped on a bottle of water and smiled. "Not to mention beating those idiots with their dumb new name."

Erza nodded and put away her phone. "Yes, that was quite the game. You could tell they didn't leave with just a single win either."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Erza looked to the celebrating Fairies in the back. "I believe we may have cracked their tiny team chemistry problem. They played like a true team in the last few seconds of that game."

Makarov remembered Natsu and his friends cheering their way into the last play as he turned to take a nap. "Hehe Erza I think you're right on that one…ah no wonder we hired you…"

As Makarov dozed off Erza turned back once more to find Jellal fast asleep while sitting alone in the middle of the bus.

She then smiled and turned back around. _"He looked more alert tonight too…I wonder if he took my advice?"_

* * *

Now, we find ourselves back to Magnolia Heights Prep for the first Tuesday of classes. Since the schedule changed each day, Wendy and all the other students now had new 1st period classrooms.

Luckily Wendy found a familiar friend in her freshman science class.

"Oh hey Wendy!" Said a very bubbly Sherria Blendy as the two girls walked into the same room.

Wendy's face lit up like a light bulb. "Oh hey Sherria! I didn't know you had this class too!"

Sherria smiled back. "Well duh! We're both freshman, so I bet we're bound to have some classes together!"

"Oh really?" Wendy knew Sherria was close to her age, but up until this point she had no idea how close. "I wasn't sure if you were a year older than me or not."

Sherria took her seat and giggled. "Yea sometimes I'm mistaken for looking older. Actually I'm more often than not mistaken for Sherry's twin sister instead of a younger one."

Wendy smiled and went to take the open seat next to Sherria, but in reality it wasn't fully open.

Draping over the back of the chair was a sports hoodie sleeve from a boy who laid asleep behind her. The kid had a rough head of dark purple hair and looked completely passed out.

Wendy looked nervous but also sort of angry with the kid as he took a nap right in part of the open desk.

"Um, excuse me…" She said with angry eyes as she poked him awake. "I need to sit down, and class is about to start."

The boy slowly raised his head and revealed two very tired but irritated blue eyes.

"Ugh…who the hell…? Why did you have to…?" The boy went to continue, but froze as he saw the girl standing there giving him a glare.

She had large round, brown eyes and long flowing royal blue hair tied back in two separate pony tails. She looked angry but he could tell she was most likely a pretty gentile person due to her size, and her slightly trembling voice.

This confused him. "U-uh…look I'm really sorry." He reached out and moved his hoodie from the back of her chair.

Wendy realized he was trying to be nice as she began to panic. "Oh I didn't mean it like that I swear! I just needed to…!"

"Wendy calm down." Sherria giggled. She then looked to the boy behind her. "Romeo come on. The year hasn't even begun yet and you're already asleep?"

"Huh? Well it's not my fault these classes are boring. They're even worse than middle school." The boy named Romeo looked very grouchy for being woken up in the first place.

"Oh." Wendy sighed as she took her seat. Feeling guilty she decided to supply him with a suggestion. "Well don't worry…maybe if I sit here and keep my back straight all year the teacher won't notice you sleeping behind me."

"Uh...y-yea maybe?" Romeo said with a look of confusion in his eyes. Then, Wendy turned to face the front and the sleepy boy got a full view of her beautiful blue hair from behind.

He then let out a little blush. _"Well, maybe stayin' awake won't be that hard after all…"_

Although he spoke inside his mind, a very nosey Sherria kept the corner of her eye on Romeo as his cheeks changed color. She then turned her head to conceal a very loud giggle.

Wendy freaked out. "Sherria what's wrong!?"

The pink haired freshman waved her hand back to Wendy and kept looking away. "I…I…oh man. I'll tell you at lunch!"

* * *

Now it was lunch time, and the same group of ladies from yesterday were now sharing a very entertaining conversation.

"And then she told him to wake up and move his jacket! Oh he couldn't even hide his face it was so adorable!" Sherria recited this story from before to her friends at lunch.

Wendy held her face flat on the table. "You didn't have to go tell them everything…"

Yukino smiled and put a finger on her cheek. "Now that you mention it I did see one of the new freshman basketball boys looking at you as you passed through the lunch line."

Sherry, the older sister of Sherria held her hands together as hearts started to flutter from her head. "Oh what a wonderful story! If that isn't true love at first sight I don't know what is?"

Wendy snapped her head up as her face flushed with heat. "WHAT!?"

Meldy held out a hand and grabbed Wendy's. "Oh he sounds nice…a little sleepy, but if he's already takin' orders from ya I'd say you have him all wrapped up!"

Wendy looked horrified. "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh geeze guys, can you cut it out? …Um Wendy I think Sherry is saying you and Romeo could be a "thing.""

Wendy looked confused. "I don't get it?"

Sherria then let out another giggle. "Then Wendy said she would hide him and let him sleep for the whole year! They already have a little bond!"

Wendy began shaking her head. "Okay I am _not_ okay with the way you've told this story! I-I was just trying to be nice. I didn't want to…"

"Hey _there_ she is!"

"Ah great…" Lucy rolled her eyes as she sat between two of her close friends. Then, three very athletic boys wearing football letter jackets came over and stood right behind her, Meldy and Yukino.

Sherry let out a grin from the other side of the table, while Wendy and Sherria looked kind of uncomfortable.

One of the boys went to speak, but Meldy let out a laugh. "Oh looks these guys wants some company?"

The purple and white haired boy standing behind her let out a grin. "Damn, Meldy...way too forward. We only came to talk with our favorite ladies."

The one behind Yukino then sat down on the other side of the white haired beauty. He had an obnoxious tall head of blonde hair, and a goofy pair of lips puckered out for no reason. "Yes, we haven't seen you lovely ladies since last spring...and it appeared you ignored us yesterday too."

Yukino kept her head down. "Hmm, I wonder why we did that…?"

Finally the middle boy spoke next. He smiled with a proud grin, and a messy short head of red hair as he put his hands on Lucy's shoulders. "So, I saw the Fairies went and won a game last night, which means those games might actually be pretty fun to see. If I remember correctly, doesn't one of you have a dad in the franchise…?"

He smiled as he gave the blonde a tiny massage. Lucy kept eating. "True, but if you keep your hands on me I'll make sure you won't ever visit another game."

"AGH!" He quickly held up his hands and let out a laugh. "Okay calm down, Lulu. I just thought you looked a little tense is all."

Lucy never turned around. "Well I wasn't…and before you start calling me any more ridiculous nicknames, you guys can leave us whenever you'd like."

The tall red haired one waved his hand and laughed. "Ah whatever. Come on guys let's go see what the freshman players are up too…" and just like that the three boys left the table.

Right away Sherry let out a chuckle. "Oh Lucy come on already. It's obvious they're just looking for a date."

Lucy never replied and kept eating.

Wendy blinked a few times before replying. "Who were they?"

Yukino rolled her eyes. "Some of the athletes. Ever since Elfman Strauss graduated a few years ago this school has let those idiots run around like jerks. They aren't even that good, but they act like they own the place."

Meldy added on. "Yea those guys are real losers…Elfman was really sweat though when he played here. Heck now he's probably our most successful athletic graduate. I hope he's doing well."

Wendy chose to look forward at Lucy. "So why did they want to go to a Fairies game with you?"

Lucy looked angry, but probably didn't direct it towards Wendy. So as a result Sherry answered.

"Let's just say they have their priorities set for this year's homecoming…"

* * *

After school, Lucy volunteered to drive Wendy back to her down town apartment. As she drove through the streets of Magnolia in her all white convertible, Wendy remained rather quite.

Finally, as they approached her street, the timid blue haired freshman spoke up. "Lucy, did those guys make you uncomfortable today?"

Lucy parked her car by the curb and let out a faint grin. "Nah, they just get under my skin sometimes…I can never really get through the day without any of them trying to flirt with me or ask me out on a date."

Wendy let out a supportive smile. "Well, that kinda sounds like a good problem to have!"

That made Lucy laugh. "Ha! Ya know, I guess you're right…hey if you see Natsu up there tell him I said congrats on the win last night."

Wendy got out of the car and shut the door. "But aren't you going to see him at the Fairies' practice? And you also said _you_ were gonna say hi to him for _me_ …?"

Lucy gasped while barely remembering their earlier conversation, and also let out a faint blush. "O-oh right! I forgot…Either way see ya tomorrow!"

Lucy quickly drove off with a little spin out on her tires as Wendy giggled. "Man, she's funnier than I thought."

As Wendy made it into her brother's apartment she threw her bags down on the couch and walked right into her bedroom. She went to slam right down on the bed, but then noticed a large orange basketball laying plump on the center of her mattress.

Wendy saw a note by it and read it aloud.

 _"_ _Here's the game ball the team gave me after winning! I told ya I'd give you a prize once I made it to the big leagues!"_

Wendy smiled like a happy little sister and clutched the ball with her hands.

"Thanks Natsu…"

* * *

Now the day turned into night, and the Fairies daily practice had just come to an end as Natsu, Gray, and Elfman all walked along the streets of Magnolia.

"Man I can't believe Erza had us practice today! Old Man Gildarts would have canceled after a game like that!" Natsu yelled with rage.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Yea, maybe that's why we lost the championship game…"

Elfman let out a smile. "Wow you're college coach sounds awesome!"

Gray laughed. "Eh, he was only awesome half the time…any other time he acted completely nuts."

Natsu then turned to Elfman. "Yea actually his daughter cheers with your sisters. That made him pretty happy to hear Gray and I got drafted to Magnolia."

"Really?" Elfman thought. "Hehe, small world."

The three boys continued wondering around until they got to a very busy part of town.

"Okay, now Freed told us to meet at some random building on this street, but I don't know…" Natsu would have continued, but the three lone Fairies soon ran into Jellal and Gajeel right down the block.

"Hey look who it is." Gray said with a smile as he gave Jellal a high five. "Long time no see."

"Quite." Jellal grinned. "Though I must be honest when I say I have no idea what we're doing here…"

Gajeel also looked confused and turned to Elfman. "Yea, what about you big man? You know these idiots more than we do."

Elfman scratched his head. "Yea I mean I know them a little, but honestly I have no idea what we're doing in the middle of town this late at night…?"

"Ah, so they arrive!"

All the boys turned to face the opposite side of the street as Laxus stood there with his arms crossed and a grin on his face. "It's about time…now hurry up and cross the damn street!"

"OKAY!" Natsu smiled and ran right through a busy street of traffic as horns and tires squealed all the way over. Gray and Gajeel rolled their eyes as the four others joined their teammates with a more conventional method of using a crosswalk.

Natsu then looked to Laxus. "Okay man what the hell's going on!?"

"Awe come on, is that the way you're gonna treat your new teammate?" Laxus replied.

Gajeel smacked his own forehead. "Are you a moron!? We already are teammates!"

Laxus chuckled. "True, but that was only true last night…now since we've won it's time we give you newbies your little _initiation_ into the real team of Fairies." He then turned and gestured to the building behind him

Natsu's eyes opened wide. "A _TATTOO_ PARLOR!?"

Laxus explained. "Yea…since you guys have now experience your first ever Magnolia win, we're gonna let you go out with us after games now…and you also get one of _these._ "

He unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his very broad chest decorated with massive black tribal tattoos. He then pointed at the symbol in the middle, which clearly took the shape of the _team crest and logo_.

"This tattoo is exclusive to our team players, at least if you try getting one done here in town…"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "So what, you want us all to get some matching tattoos like a bunch of nut jobs?"

Laxus let out a grin even though Gajeel's joke wasn't needed. He then opened the door and waved them inside.

"Welcome to Magnolia boys."

* * *

 **Okay, a lot of little stuff happened there:**

 **1.) The boys had a goofy little celebration.**

 **2.) Wendy found Sherria in her Tuesday first period class (and a new friend...?)**

 **3.) Lucy got harassed by some jocks (no they weren't anyone specific, they were just for the scene.)**

 **4.) Laxus is letting the newbies in on the Fairies' team traditions! Exiting stuff!**

 **I think we'll pull it back to a home game here in a bit!**


	13. 13 - Friendly Rivals

**Author's Note: Hello! Here's chapter 13! I'm excited to say one reader has taken extensive interest in the story, and now wishes to Beta Write for me! the account is BarelyProdigies, and hopefully if our schedules line up they will be Beta writing more and more chapters!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen - Friendly Rivals

* * *

"Welcome back to Magnolia folks! We're here live ready to get you started for tonight's wonderful matchup between the Lamias of Margaret Town, and their friendly rivals here in Magnolia, the Fairies!"

Chapati Lola screamed into the camera as the many seats inside the South Gate Arena slowly start to fill up. The Magnolia fans are usually excited no matter the game, but this particular Thursday night offered a very nice opportunity for the Fairies to take a good stance in their division.

Yes, although they have managed to win games in the last five or so seasons, they did so with losing records. However this night offered the Fairies their first chance at a winning record in over 5 years. Now, we find three young ladies sitting in the central box seat of the arena as they all look on in wait for the game's tip off.

"Wow the view is really good from here!" Wendy Dragneel smiled and looked over the lower balcony down to the center court line. "Last time I saw a game my seats were over on the side. They were a good height but kind of a bad angle."

Lucy let out a smile. "Well it's totally my pleasure Wendy! I'm always trying to get my friends to come in and watch the games with me...I was actually surprised they all came out on Monday. Maybe since it's so early in the year they didn't have anything better to do." Lucy always enjoyed it when Yukino and Meldy visited games with her, and even when Sherry came in to watch a game or two it made her just as happy. However, she managed just fine with her new friend Wendy. Over the course of the short week the two high schoolers got to know each other rather well, on account of Lucy being the one who mainly drives Wendy home.

Now however, the two high schoolers are also being joined by a recent college graduate and team GM, Levy McGarden. "Well I'm really glad you could come out Wendy! I always love meeting the players' families!"

Wendy nodded in thanks, while Lucy let out a smirk. "Hold on Levy, you've been pretty quiet up until now...how was the game Monday? I bet you were pretty happy."

Levy looked guilty for some reason. "O-oh I actually never went to the game, I just watched it from my apartment...and actually that's what I wanted to talk with you about."

Wendy kept looking out to the court with a beaming face while Lucy leaned in closer to hear Levy's concern.

"So I sent out a text to all the guys after the win, and only _one_ of them replied."

Lucy chuckled. "Haha, so? Maybe they were all just too tired to respond.

Levy frowned. "Yea? I dunno..."

Lucy shrugged. "Okay then, who sent you the text? Natsu, Gray?"

Levy let out a tiny smile in her response. "Gajeel."

Lucy looked dumbstruck. "Agh...really?! I never pegged him to be the texting type."

Levy's cheeks began to change color. "Yea neither did I...that's what bothers me."

Lucy had no choice but to roll her eyes and laugh. "Well make sure if they win tonight you follow up with another text. From the sounds of things he may be expecting them from now on." He probably wasn't expecting anything, but sometimes Lucy can't help herself from stirring the pot.

"Really?" Levy looked nervous. "Oh man, you're right. I shouldn't have even sent one out to begin with."

The ornery blonde went to reply, but Wendy stopped her and pointed to the sideline. "Hey Lucy, is that Meldy down around court side?"

Lucy leaned over the railing to find her bubbly pink haired friend walking to court side seats. "Uh yea it sure looks like it. I remember her saying she wanted to hang out with a cousin tonight...maybe they went to the game!"

Now, we lower ourselves down to the court side seats to find out what's going on.

"JUVIA!" Meldy rang out with a loud greeting. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Oh Meldy!" Juvia, the blue haired girlfriend of Bora Sinclair stood up from her seat to give the high schooler a hug. "I cannot believe this is the first time we've met up ever since my move to Magnolia!"

Meldy sighed as she took her seat. "Yea, well it's not my fault you and Bora are so clingy..." She let out a wink and nudged Juvia's arm, but then realized Bora wasn't there.

"Hold on, where is Bora anyway?" Meldy liked Juvia's relationship, and supported it as much as possible. However, she failed to see the value in Bora as boyfriend, and often kept an eye out for her slightly older cousin.

Juvia sighed. "Oh, he had another meeting up in Cait Shelter. It is a coastal town after all, so he has a lot of sales down there. Might I ask where your sister is?"

Meldy rolled her eyes and leaned on an arm rest. "Ah she's too busy grading papers from some quiz. I can't believe she gave the freshman a quiz on opening week."

Juvia smiled. "Yes, but it may have been a good thing. After all I only had this seat for you because Bora is out of town."

Meldy then let out a great big smile. "Yea I guess you're right! Normally when I come here I sit up with the Heartfilias, but this is actually a pretty cool experience!"

"Heartfilias..." Juvia heard that name when she arrived into Magnolia over the summer. The father was apparently the local owner of the Fairies and head of the nation's #1 airline.

She would have said more, but the pre-game ceremonies were just in the middle of beginning.

"Well hello people of Magnolia! Are you ready to see your 1 and 1 Fairies try to earn their second win!?"

The fans erupted as Max Alors smiled. "Okay well you don't have to tell me twice! Ladies and Gentlemen let's get started!"

One by one Max introduced the five starts for the opposing Lamias, and then began to introduce the starters for his home town Fairies.

"...OKAY SO PLEASE GIVE IT UP FOR #1, THE STARTING CENTER YOU KNOW AND LOVE... _LAXUS DREYAR_!"

The towering middle man smiled as he entered the court to join his fellow teammates. Natsu would have high fived him, but he was too busy scratching his right shoulder.

"Man, this dumb tattoo sucks. All it's done is itch since I've gotten it!" He complained as his fiery red ink was now starting to make the skin around it match color.

Gray smiled. "I have no idea what you're talking about, mine feels fine." He grinned as he patted his right pectoral. "Just give it a few more days. I guess some skin is better than others."

"Yea yea..." Natsu waved it away as the lights quickly came back on, but the cheerleaders and blue feline mascot never left their places near the tunnel.

"What the hell is this all about?" Gajeel roared with confusion.

"Quiet." Makarov snapped to all his players. "Not another word until this is over."

Natsu looked completed puzzled as Max spoke back over the speaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen it is also my honor to introduce one of the founding fathers of basketball. Fabled center for the first ever Fairies team of the old _Central Basketball League,_ and co-founder of the sport itself. Please stand up and cheer as we welcome back a legend... _WARROD SEQUEN!"_

The fans erupted with clapping and cheers as Jude Heartfilia emerged from the tunnel, and with him was a very tall but elderly man right to the center court. He was still a giant, but only barely. His skin had withered to almost a white-ish/grey color, and his hair was dark green and bushy from the top. He also walked in a very loose black suit and tie, while also carrying around a very fancy wooden cane.

Finally, he smiled to the crowd and gave them all a wave as he leaned over to his escort. "You were right, Jude...this fan base is full of a bunch of suckers."

Jude raised an eye brow. "Sir I never said anything like..."

"Ah it's only a joke!" Warrod howled with laughter. "I only kid the owner of course!"

Jude shook his head. "Yes, well I must say it was pretty amusing. Now, if you'd like I can take you to my private box to enjoy the game. Our GM is also waiting to meet you."

Warrod nodded but turned over to look at the five starters for the Fairies.

"Ah...what proud young men. Do me a favor and lose this one will ya, I can't have you all beating my old records."

"AGH!?" Natsu and the others nearly fell over, and Laxus let out a smirk.

Warrod bent down and slapped his knee. "HAHA! I kid only. It was a joke! Ah good look young Fairies, please do me proud."

Jude continued to shake his head as Natsu leaned over to Laxus. "Man is your grandpa gonna be that crazy when he gets that old?"

Laxus looked to Natsu. "That old man may be crazy, but he's one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. And he also founded the sport and the franchise you play for." He then left the line up and walked to center circle as the other 9 players took the court.

Right away, the opposing center bowed in respect. He had a shiny bald head and very impressive build, with wide shoulders and muscular arms. Finally, he held a tiny black goatee and a face of respect.

"Well, it's good to face the Fairies again. Congratulations are in order." The man of stone smiled. "I was delighted to hear you won your first away game earlier in the week."

Laxus had so far only rolled his eyes and insulted each center in the tip offs thus far, but for the first time this season he reached over to shake the opposing center's hand. "Man, Jura. I think you might be the only _sane_ center left in the league."

Jura nodded. "I take that with honor. Good luck to you and your comrades, Laxus, and may the better team win."

"Gladly." Laxus crouched down and waited for Mest's cue.

The ball hit the air and landed right over to Natsu this time. The proud point guard then let out a grin and ordered his play.

"Okay you guys, let's go ahead and take the lead on this one!" Natsu then smiled again as the Lamia point guard came in with very long and thin eye brows.

"Okay looks like I get to see what the rookie is all about!" He said with a smile as he swiped for the ball.

"GRAY!" Natsu yelled without hesitation and threw the ball right to his former Acalypha teammate, who bobbled it and barely held the ball in play.

"Natsu try giving me a little more notice will ya?" Gray said as his opposing small forward came in to defend. "Oh great...not _you._ "

The boy playing his opposite position smiled. "Well Gray I'm still depressed to see you using _two_ hands to catch passes. Maybe if you were a better player you'd be able to use one hand like I do."

Gray rolled his eyes and continued dribbling. " _Lyon_ just shut up. Man, you're still annoying even out of grade school."

Gray and his opponent, Lyon Vastia had played ball way back in the days of their middle school basketball league. Then they each went separate ways to focus on different things and colleges, but deep down they both loved basketball equally at heart.

Now for their present match up, Gray switched control back and forth between both hands, and let his remaining players circle around the field as he also watched Lyon like hawk.

Then...

"OH YOU CAN JUST DRIBBLE AROUND HIM, GRAY!"

Gray recognized the sound coming from Bora's seats, and that sure was a Bora thing to say...but that was _not_ Bora who actually said it.

Lyon heard it too. "What kind of fans do you Fairies have out...?" He then looked to find two very young and voluptuous beauties sitting along the side line and immediately lost focus.

"Dear god...they're both _so beautiful_...!" Lyon had to try and keep the drool in his mouth as Gray snickered and dribbled right by his place. They, the quick small forward ran right through his team and defense and slammed the ball down for the first points of the game.

"WHAT KINDA DEFENSE WAS THAT LYON!? YOU'RE SO PATHETIC THIS YEAR I OUGHTA BENCH YOU BEFORE YOU LOSE THE GAME FOR US!" The shrill and tiny head coach, Ooba Babasaama from Margaret Town let her ear shattering voice pierce the air and right into her players' ears.

Lyon fell to the ground in embarrassment. "Is this going to be the longest game of my life...?"

Natsu then back peddled right by the defeated enemy and gave him a smile as he headed back on defense. "Yup! Get used to it! Hehe..."

* * *

Although he did get used to it, and his Lamia teammates kept their team within 10 points the whole game, they never made it over the bizarre hump that was set by their newly talented rivals.

Finally, Gray went up and slammed in a go ahead dunk at the buzzer before Magnolia walked away with an 88-78 victory.

As the victorious Fairies lifted Gray in a frenzy of cheers and supporting cries, Jude looked to Warrod inside his private booth. "Well, were you impressed?"

The elder Fairy let out a serious grin this time. "This isn't a joke, now...they played a little on the lazy side."

Jude held a stern expression on his face, "Yes, I've noticed that as well over their last few games. I hired that new assistant coach to try and..."

"HA! I _was_ joking! They played phenomenally!" Warrod howled with a psychotic amusement as his friend did not find it as funny.

Jude slapped his face and took a sip of water. "Yes...I expected you to say that...so should I leave the offer for you to come watch the team each game?"

Warrod smiled, and slowly stood up on his cane. "I will contact you the next time I come to watch a game. We can discuss more _offers_ then as well." He then bowed to Jude and shook his hand as the elder FBA player walked out the door.

Jude smiled and then looked to Levy on the other side of the booth. "Excuse me, where did my daughter and her little friend run off to?"

Levy froze. "O-oh, they left? I think Wendy said she needed to be home by a certain time tonight."

Jude had no idea that was Natsu's sister and just assumed Levy was telling the truth. "Oh, very well. I suppose I'll meet Lucy when I get home...and I'll see you tomorrow as well, Levy."

Levy smiled and waved. "Okay! Bye, and congrats on tonight!"

Jude left as Levy sank down in her chair _. "Man...I hope he believed me."_

Now, we find Lucy and Wendy walking around the court was Wendy's eyes were left wide open. "Wow this is so amazing! I feel like I'm one of the players!"

Lucy smiled. "Yup! You know, not all my friends get this extra treatment."

Wendy nodded. "Oh, I understand! Thanks again!"

"WENDY!?"

The two girls heard a familiar boy voice as Natsu stormed through a crowd of press and players to reach them. "What are you doing down here?"

Wendy gave him a hug and smiled. "Good game, Natsu! Lucy brought me down to see you!"

Natsu looked up to the blonde high schooler and raised an eye brow. "Oh I see, using my sister to get another interview!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yeah right...a door would give me a better response then the last conversation we had." She then caught herself in the middle of the moment. "U-um, good win by the way too..."

Natsu smiled with appreciation. "Thanks! That means a lot! I'm glad you two got to see the game tonight in person! Those away games are hell on my stomach! Hehe."

"Eh...?" Lucy looked puzzled, before Wendy explained.

"Oh Natsu says that because he gets motion sickness sometimes. It's not a very safe habit..."

"Really?" Lucy looked intrigued and pulled out her tiny note pad. "W-well actually that sounds like some good information."

Natsu gave her a smirk back. "Hey yea, I think you're right! Hmm...maybe I ought a find a real reporter and get an interview going!"

Lucy smacked him on the arm as he went to defend himself. "Hey chill out will yah!? Man...look you're takin' Wendy home right?"

Wendy nodded rapidly as Lucy let out a timid "Uh-huh?"

Natsu then began back pedaling to the tunnel while waving goodbye. "Well stick around my apartment with Wendy until I get there. I'll give you a full interview then!"

"AGH! I mean you don't have to do _THAT_ if you don't...oh who am I kidding? He's already gone."

Now we find Gray and Lyon shaking hands near the stats table. Lyon spoke first. "Well Gray that was quite a game you had. I've never seen you get a single game MVP before, and now you have your first ever from the FBA."

Gray rolled his eyes and accepted his hand shake. "Yeah? Well I've never seen you hit the floor so hard in a game before, plus I never even touched you!"

Lyon looked very annoyed by that. "Yes, well I can assure you when the fairies come to Margaret Town I will not..."

"Good game tonight Gray!"

Both boys stood back and turned to find a very timid Juvia and very excited Meldy standing right from their seats along the court line. "Oh, I-I'm sorry if you don't remember who I..."

"Yea! _Juvia_ right? You're Bora's friend!" Gray said with a smile.

 _"Bora's_ _friend_ _?"_ Juvia thought with a weird hesitation. She then spoke up. "Y-yes I mean we're also..."

"Hi, I'm Meldy!" The pink haired girl jumped in to give them both handshakes. "I'm Juvia's cousin, and she got me tickets to tonight's game! You both were _sooo_ amazing tonight!" The tiny pink hair girl cheered as she twirled a finger through her hair.

The two players who ironically led both teams in scoring smiled as Lyon looked to Meldy. "Well, you liked our style of play did you?"

Meldy giggled. "Well yeah. _Gray's_ was pretty cool, but _you_ had a few goofy falls."

"I WHAT!?" Lyon groaned with sorrow, until Gray spoke up.

"Well we're glad you guys enjoyed the game. Make sure to come by next week when we take on..."

Juvia froze with glossy eyes as Meldy rang out again. "Um Listen! Juvia and I have reservations for dinner tonight, but you two are _waaaay_ too interesting to leave..." She lingered on her last few words in a flirtatious manor. "Why don't you two meet us at the Fairy Tail Tavern instead in about an hour? You guys can tell us more about your little game just now!"

Gray and Lyon both froze as Juvia let out a squeak. "U-uh Meldy I don't think..."

"See you there!" Meldy apparently did not take no for an answer and began to walk Juvia out of the court. She then leaned into Juvia. "Come on, they're both really hot. Besides you're boyfriend's kind of a d-bag anyway."

"WHAT!?" Juvia took offense to that until Meldy continued.

"He always smells like a full bottle of cologne when I see him...and he's always out of town at weird times...besides I can't imagine you'd wanna turn down a dinner date with two professional _hotties_?" Meldy wrapped her right arm around Juvia's left and turned to give Gray and Lyon one last wink.

Gray froze with complete confusion as he watched the two gorgeous girls walking away. "Um...what the hell just happened?"

Lyon let out a smile and put his arm around Gray. "I'll tell you what just happened! You and I are gonna score one more time before the night is through!"

* * *

 **Okay, so a lot of balls are starting to roll here...new chapter soon!**


	14. 14 - Team Building Exercises

**Author's Note: Okay here's the new chapter! Now this story is supposed to have _two_ main themes, and I think I've supplied enough basketball so far...**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen - Team Building

* * *

It was now almost 10:00 at night in Magnolia, but no one told the town that. Sure it was a Thursday night, but these streets acted like it was Saturday in the middle of July. As the night live boomed, here we find our two icy Small Forward rivals enjoying themselves in a private booth inside the Fairy Tail Tavern.

"Man, I told ya she lied to us." Gray scowled at Lyon as he drank another shot from the middle of the table. "And would ya stop ordering these things!? I feel like I have to drink them."

Lyon enjoyed a few shots for himself as he grinned to his friend. "Relax, they're probably just making us wait. After all I doubt they've ever had the chance to play coy with two professional basketball players before." Lyon then snatched the shot right out of Gray's hand. "And besides, this is to lighten the mood…but since I can already see you're going to be a buzz kill I'll go ahead and finish it for you."

Gray had no choice but to laugh. "Man, you're starting to sound like your team won that game. Just remember who came out on top alright?"

"Hey _guuuys!"_

Gray and Lyon sighed with relief as they heard the familiar yet still unacquainted voice of Meldy from the entrance. As a result they turned to the sound of the call.

Both boys had jaws nearly on the ground as Meldy came over in a small yet classy red dress that practically fit her like a second skin. She also had her hair tied up in a loose pony tail as her pretty green eyes greeted them from across the way.

Then the two fools also noticed her company. Juvia looked equally as gorgeous with a deep blue dress that was equally as slim, but had long sleeves that went down to her wrists. She also kept her gorgeous eyes directed to her feet as she followed her more confident younger cousin.

Gray gulped as he grabbed ahold of his jacket's lapel. "Man, what is this? We come in here with suits from the pre-game press conference and these two show up like models…?"

Gray never got a response as Lyon smiled with joy. "What a view! …Gray I told you this was the right idea!"

The dark blue haired Fairy would have delivered a smack to his friend, but their two new acquaintances joined them at their table. Meldy tossed her bag down beside Lyon, which forced Juvia to awkwardly squeeze into Gray's side of the table. Then, the pink haired high schooler gently stopped a walking male waiter.

"Could you get us a drink menu? We're planning on being here a while…" She let out a tiny wink as the now nervous waiter nodded.

"U-uh y-yea, sure thing!" He bolted through his two employees down the hallway and rushed to deliver his order.

Meldy giggled and jumped into her booth, while also nudging into Lyon on her fall in."We're really sorry about being late! Juvia didn't know what dress she wanted to wear."

Juvia looked angry. "Hold on why is this my fault!?" She protested to her cousin. Juvia wanted to arrive earlier, but Meldy told them to wait at her apartment so they could let the guys wait instead. She mentioned something about it being more exciting that way.

Truth be told the whole situation made Juvia uncomfortable. She went out a lot back in high school, but once she graduated the blue haired beauty met up with the near love of her life in Bora and dropped out of college to follow him to business. Now she had been out of the game for a year or two and looked rather inexperienced compared to her youthful cousin.

Gray let out a laugh and grabbed a glass of water that he hadn't touched yet. "Ah who cares, I bet you woulda looked good either way." He then scooted the glass down to Juvia. "Here, you can have a sip of this while you wait for the menu. I haven't even sipped out of it"

"Ah…really?" Juvia and Meldy both rang with cheer like a poetic duet, yet as Juvia shook in her acceptance, Meldy instantly locked her eyes right onto Lyon's equally full glass.

"Uh here!" Lyon read the room. "You look thirsty too!"

"Teehee, thanks!" Meldy smiled and took a drink from her new glass. She then looked to Gray. "So I heard that was your best game so far! Juvia told me you played well in the first two, but that was without a doubt your MVP night."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "She did? Yea I guess I'd agree with her there. Man, I see Bora and Juvia all the time now that they go to Magnolia games. Speak of the devil where is Bora tonight?"

 _"_ _More importantly…why the hell am I trying to eat dinner with a girl who has a boyfriend, and her younger cousin who looks like a freakin senior in high school?!"_ He asked himself this question as Juvia spoke up.

"Umm…" She wobbled her head while also rubbing her arm. "He's down in Cait Shelter for a business deal. He was devastated about missing your game, but he let me invite my cousin Meldy to take his place."

 _"_ _Cait Shelter?"_ Gray didn't like the sound of that. He instantly flashed to that white haired girl from Bora's car and seats in the Seis game. "Hmm…he sounds like a busy man."

Meldy rolled her eyes. "Eh who cares, he isn't here!" She then began playing with her glass of water. "So Lyon, I hear Margaret University has a pretty nice campus? Have you ever been around on it?"

"Ah yes!" Lyon smiled. "It is prided as one of the greenest colleges in all of Fiore. I actually went there for a year before I got drafted."

"No way!" Meldy said with great interest as she then began to bob a tiny curl of her pink hair. "I was so looking to go there next year!"

Juvia clearly read that Meldy was trying to isolate the two conversations, and as so she tried to spark her own with ray. "S-so, your next game is Monday?"

Gray turned and smiled. "Yea, we play Acalypha. I hope you and Bora will be able to make it then too."

Juvia let out a tiny smile. "Yes, I do too. I will say Bora might be in Cait Shelter for a few extra nights though, so hopefully you're wish comes true for both our sakes."

"A few extra nights?" Gray really didn't like that, but he definitely didn't want to get too involved. As a result he needed a few more questions answered. He would have found an easier way to answer them, but ironically he was starting to like the color of her eyes with the matching dress. As a result, the suave small forward smiled and took a drink from Juvia's glass of water (that was originally his.)

"Well, if he's still out tomorrow, maybe you can show me around your favorite spots in town?"

* * *

Now we find a large crowd of young Fairies walking to the same bar that housed the double date of Gray and Lyon.

At the front Bickslow and Lisanna lead the way as the backup Power Forward laughed out loud. "Man, I can't believe Gray and Natsu bailed on us! How weak is that!?"

Lisanna rubbed his arm as she held it tightly in her hands. "Awe, don't be like that. The important thing is you guys extended the invitation!"

She then turned and giggled to a few new faces to the group. "At least some of the guys decided to stick around."

As she smiled, Gajeel and Jellal walked in with a warm faced Levy and a rather pleased Erza as the second group, while the back was being brought up by Elfman, Evergreen, Jet, Droy, Laki, Cana, and lastly Mira and Laxus.

Gajeel yelled out with anger after hearing Lisanna called them out from the front. "Yea? Well don't get used to seeing me around here, girly. I got a lot of better things I could be doing than hangin' out with you morons."

The tiny GM Levy looked up to the bright skyline beside him. "Why do you have to be so angry, Gajeel! The night is so beautiful, _AND_ we won the game!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes as the one person he could handle tried to calm him down. "Ah, whatever…"

Levy then looked over to her now passive friend. She then remembered something from earlier. _"Right...maybe I can ask him about that text too...but not in front of everyone else!"_

Jellal laughed and reached for his lighter. "Relax Gajeel. Surely you can enjoy a small night with just your teammates, right?"

He then pulled out a box of cigarettes, but stopped as his assistant coach swiped them from his hand. "Yes, _and_ you can stop this ridiculous habit before it kills you, or worse loses us a game."

"Ouch!" Mira laughed from behind in an encouraging manor. "You go girl!"

Jellal held his head up high. "Well, all's I can say is that was quite rude…just for that I'm not sure I want to be here either." He said with a grin as he pulled out another box of cigarettes.

"AGH! _TWO_ BOXES!?" Erza nearly fell over while Cana was raising her fists in cheer.

"Yea! That's my kinda man!" She smiled as she held two flasks simultaneously between the fingers on her left hand. Her right was too busy sending out a text to other friends.

Erza growled with even more anger as Jellal turned and politely blew the air to his opposite side. "If you're really that concerned, I'm going to need a more compelling argument if you want me to actually quit…" He then noticed she was getting a little annoyed, but in reality he just wanted to spend more time with her. "And I'll also need to tell you about the story behind the tattoo around my eye."

"Mgh…" She grunted with confusion and curiosity ringing through her brain. Knowing he didn't have that mark the last time they knew each other, maybe it was a story worth hearing after all. "Well…I'll be glad to discuss both with you when we get to the bar…maybe even over a drink or two."

* * *

As the loud and friendly group of Fairies went to enjoy their night, we now find a very awkward seen of three young Magnolians inside Natsu's very luxurious apartment complex.

"Wow…" Lucy said with a near full belly of food as she sat on a tall stool along the kitchen bar. "I had no idea either of you could cook."

Wendy smiled as she finished washing dishes. "Yea, well when you have to take care of yourselves, sometimes you learn a thing or two."

Natsu laughed and straightened up his large dinner table. "Yea! We're like the perfect duo for sibling cooking ever!"

"Haha…I'll take your word for it." Lucy let out a sigh and tried to enjoy the moment.

Then, Nastu leaned on the counter and looked her in the eyes. "OH! Maybe you could mention that in our interview!"

"Our..? Oh right I totally forgot!" Lucy said with embarrassment as she dug through her bag to pull out her tiny pen and paper.

Wendy finished up and walked passed the bar. "You're gonna love her writing, Natsu! She's the senior editor for the school yearbook!"

Natsu widened his eyes and began to clap. "Wow, is that class before or after arts and crafts?"

Lucy threw her pencil right for his eyes, but the quick athlete ducked and let it soar to the ground. Wendy then giggled. "Ah, I'm going to go ahead and leave before someone gets hurt…" She then wondered off into the back hallway and into her own room.

"WAIT…!" Lucy looked on with a panicked heart as her close friend Wendy left her alone with the seemingly unfamiliar older brother. She then let her forehead smack down onto the bar top and began to moan loudly as Natsu took his spot across from her.

"Wow, Wendy wasn't lying. Looks like someone did get hurt." He chuckled as he looked like a child stuck in thought.

"Yea, she was…" Lucy bit her tongue in anger. "Anyway…do you want the interview or not?"

Natsu leaned back with a grin. "I dunno…I figured I need to ask _you_ that question too."

Lucy was starting to get annoyed with his goofy attitude. "Look, I know people may not take me seriously (one man in particular) but damn it I'm trying really hard to legitimize myself in the world of…!"

"Whoa Whoa Whoa!" Natsu raised his hands. "I'm just kidding Lucy! What do you mean no one takes you seriously?"

"Eh never mind…it's too complicated." Lucy sighed and turned to the side of the bar stool. She looked like she was ready to jump off and leave until Natsu let out another smile.

"Well gee, I never knew it meant so much to you. Look I'd be happy to give you your first ever legitimate interview!"

Suddenly a new emotion filed Lucy's heart as she looked up with wondrous eyes. "R-really?"

Natsu smiled and walked for his fridge. "YEA! But hey let me get a drink real quick. You want one?"

"Um yea that sounds fine!" Lucy was too busy prepping her own notes for the pending interview to actually pay attention to his request. He then returned to the bar with two freshly opened bottles of cold beer.

"NATSU!?" Lucy yelled out in horror. "HOW OLD DO YOU THINK I AM!?"

Natsu scratched his head. "18? I dunno."

Lucy began to blush. "Right, so why did you…?"

Natsu tilted his head. "Lucy the drinking age is 18!"

Lucy sighed. "That's not what I meant…look I'm still in high school and I have classes tomorrow and…"

"Classes? HA! Man I always went to those things sloshed back in my day!" He then slid the beer in front of her papers. "Besides, I already opened it for ya…and I'm not drinking two of these in one go."

 _"Oh great…"_ She shook with even more nerves. _"How am I supposed to finish this thing and drive home tonight!? And what if it makes me a bad interviewer or if I start asking stupid questions!?_ " These all had to be answered later as Lucy impulsively grabbed the open bottle.

Lucy would have tried to hide her brightly blushing cheeks, but she knew it wouldn't do her any good. "Ugh…fine whatever…let's just get this over with."

* * *

 **Ah it feels like an Elton John song...that was a _Lion King_ reference if no one got it...the _Frozen_ of my generation. Anyway new chapter tomorrow! ...or soon! **

**(Now I'm going to try and finally sit down to watch the new _Fairy Tail ZER0!_ )**


	15. 15 - The Morning After

**Author's Note: Hello! Here is #15! I hope you enjoy. I saw the Oscars were last night, and normally I don't stay up to watch those award shows, but I figured I would this year. Can I just say congratulations to Leonardo Dicaprio! The man finally get's the award her deserves!**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._ Bonus: Today's chapter was Beta-read by BarelyProdigies.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen - The Morning After

* * *

It was now roughly 6:00 am in the morning. The sun was out, and Magnolia had transformed from its exciting night life into a business center virtually overnight.

Here, we find a tiny strand of sunlight peeking through some window shades into Natsu and Wendy's living room. Although it was small, it had just enough glare to hit the eye of a certain sleeping blonde on the couch.

"Ugh…" Lucy moaned as she rolled over and wrapped herself up in a thick blanket. "Is it…is it Saturday already?" She then looked around the room to realize she was not in her own bed, and for that matter she wasn't even in her house.

"HOLD ON!" She sat up while yelling. "WHERE AM…?" As the second sentence came out, it quickly froze in time as her brown eyes turned to see a fair amount of empty beer bottles sitting on the bar.

"Oh man…what is that like 9 or 10 bottles!?" She then let the rest of her brain catch up to her. "AND IT'S _FRIDAY!_ "

Now with a fast beating heart she slowly reached down to the floor and retrieved a cell phone from her jean pocket. Shaking in hand, Lucy feared to look down at the screen, and finally opened her eyes as 4 missed calls came up loud and clear on the glass window… _all_ from her father.

"Oh no…this is _reeeally_ bad!" Panicking she switched to her texting app (because she was _not_ about to call her dad with a ringing hangover in her brain.) She swam through her mind with possible excuses until she remembered a vital element in her friendship with Wendy.

 **"Oh hey dad, sorry I never came home! Wendy is new to yearbook and she wanted me to show her some things. Phone service is bad over here, and it's busy downtown so I'm just going to spend the night here…see you tomorrow! Luv you!"**

She had to make it sound like it was sent last night to mimic the idea that signal was truly bad, but thanks to the fact that Jude had no knowledge between Natsu and Wendy's sibling relationship, she thinks she made it out scot free.

"Well…that was an interesting way to start the morning. Oh great I wonder if my interview notes are all sloppy now too…" She noticed her notepad was still on the bar, and went to stand up, but then she realized _another_ scary revelation.

"AGH!" Lucy cried looking down at her jeans lying on the floor below. "I'm not wearing pants right now…I SLEPT IN MY _UNDERWEAR_!?"

She was thankful enough to still be wearing a t-shirt, and she moved down to grab her pants until she heard footsteps coming from the hallway.

 _"NO NO NO!"_ She thought as she tried to kick one foot into the loose leg of her jeans _. "PLEASE LET THAT BE WENDY!"_

Then the intruder came into the room.

"AH!" Natsu yawned and out stretched his arms. "Morning Lucy! Man I'm glad you woke up! I thought we would never get you to bed!"

"Huh?" Lucy looked over the back of the couch with a timid expression acting like she was fully clothed. "Was I _that_ bad…?"

Natsu scratched his bare chest. "Yea you had like 9 of those yourself." He shrugged pointing to the empty bottles. "Then I tried taking you to our 3rd bedroom, but you crashed there on the couch. You also started complaining about not wanting to sleep with jeans on…so I left you to take them off."

"Oh thank god!" She yelled out now fully contented that he did not help remove them. "But I'm still not comfortable with how much I…"

"HAHAHA! I was only kidding, Lucy…we spilt them even! Still you probably didn't know they were pretty heavy beers, so I bet your head is ringin' like a church bell on Sunday!"

"Hehe…yea it is." She then grabbed her blanket. "Hey Natsu, this doesn't look like a couch cover…"

Natsu went to the fridge with a smile on his face from her observation. "Right! It came from the closet. I put it over you after you fell asleep. You went down pretty quick, but the room got pretty chilly once you nodded off."

"Y-you put a blanket over me? How sweet…" Lucy let a tiny creep of red blush cross her face, and delivered a friendly smile, but then realized Natsu was shirtless as he closed the fridge door.

"Oh wow, you're _not_ wearing a shirt." She rang out like an idiot, while also looking rather embarrassed by his very muscular build.

"Haha duh? I never sleep with a shirt on!" He then pulled out a box of pancake mix from the cabinet. "Okay Wendy usually does this, but I'll give it a try since she's taking a shower."

"A shower…?" Lucy then smacked her forehead. "Oh no! I forgot we have school today!"

Natsu howled. "Yep! Man, you're gonna have a funny day, Lucy! I hope you enjoyed our interview!"

Lucy stood up after finally putting on her clothing and grabbed her notepad. "Um, I never asked anything weird did I?"

Natsu smiled and shook his head. "Nah you're actually pretty good at what ya do! I may even ask for another one once I see how this one comes out!"

"Yeah…it'll take a while to write up though so don't get your hopes up." Lucy just played along with him since she had no intention of showing him her failing blog. She then looked to the door. "Okay I usually keep some spare school clothes in my trunk…I'm just going to go down and-"

"No. You look awful, Lucy." Natsu said making her angry. "Here, throw me your keys while the stove heats up. You can stay here and start my shower if you want since Wendy's using her's. I'll through your clothes on my bed for ya when you get out."

He appeared to not take no for an answer as he slammed the door behind him.

Lucy stood there alone in the living room and sighed as she folded the blanket in her hands. "Well, maybe Wendy will be nice and keep this a secret...and hold on, does Natsu even know what my car looks like!?"

* * *

Now, we find ourselves on the front campus of Magnolia Heights Prep a few hours later, and just before the school bell was about to ring.

Wendy and Lucy slowly walked around the field looking for their group of friends in the light of the morning sun. Wendy had a cheery smile as usual, while Lucy looked like she had been awake for a day straight and held a mug of coffee tightly in her hand, while also wearing a large pair of sunglasses over her tired eyes.

As they joined their friends, they noticed the 4 other girls had picked out a nice shady spot underneath the shadows of a tree. The Blendy siblings looked happy as usual, and Yukino also brought a smile to the group.

Meldy however, appeared to have the same issue Lucy was having. She wore a light gray hoodie with the hood drawn up over her head, all covering her usual school uniform underneath.

Sherry greeted Lucy and Wendy but her eyes only met one of them. "Well, glad to see you guys made it to school today. At least _one_ of you looks ready for classes…" She then sniffed the air around Lucy. "Do I smell _men's shampoo_ in your hair?!"

Wendy giggled while Lucy rolled her eyes, because after all she had to borrow Natsu's shower. "No questions from _any_ of you…" She then looked right to her equally distressed pink haired friend.

"So Meldy I see you had a fun night too?" The blonde said in a sarcastic tone.

The other girl replied with anything but sarcasm as her two tired eyes began to shine brighter than ever before. "It was amazing! I went out with my cousin and two of the basketball players from the FBA game. We had an _amazing_ time!"

The young Sherria looked happy for her. "Wow that sounds like a blast!"

The elder Sherry nodded. "Yes, it does. Might we ask _who_ you went out with?"

Meldy began to blush as she recited her tail of the night before. "Oh _Gray Fulbuster_ from the Fairies and _Lyon Vastia_ from the Lamias! They were both perfect gentlemen with me and my cousin!"

Yukino looked awfully nervous. "Well, it sounds like you had fun, but did you have a _safe_ night…?"

Meldy let down her hood and began to twirl her hair as she let out a childish grin. " _Weeell_ …let's just say Lyon booked a really nice hotel room for his stay in town."

Sherry tapped her on the shoulder. "Look at you! Quite the little _vixen_! I suppose we can ask the same about you Lucy?"

"Ugh…not quite." Lucy sighed while scratching her head. "My night was pretty…"

 ** _*RIING!*_**

The bell sounded off loudly as Lucy and Meldy lowered their heads in pain, and as the other girls giggled, the blonde walked away first. "Eh, sorry but looks like I have to get to class!"

* * *

Next, we remove ourselves from the innocent high school scene, and land in another apartment complex for a much more mature morning in downtown Magnolia.

Erza held a pillow over her head and rolled around in a large fluffy white king-sized bed as she tossed and turned away from the shining sun.

"Oh why did I have to go out last night…?" She told herself in embarrassment.

However, the words were actually spoken aloud, and received by her host. "Because you wanted to celebrate the victory of your team, I believe."

Erza leaned up to find Jellal Fernandes wearing nothing but a white bath town that he had tied around his waist. He came from the bathroom and leaned in the doorway.

"WHA-?" Erza nearly fell out of bed as she grabbed a firm pillow and tossed it right for his head. Jellal jumped too and hid behind the bathroom wall until she finally settled before he re-emerged to confront his guest.

Erza finally spoke again. "What did you do to me?"

Jellal raised an eyebrow. He knew she was going to act like this, but the beautiful look in her eyes last night convinced him to do it anyway. "Absolutely nothing. As far as I can remember, I think it was your suggestion to come back here after..."

She threw another pillow, but Jellal was too caught up to move, and instead caught it with a sly expression. "Erza, these are brand new pillows."

Erza turned away and kept her arms forcefully crossed over her exposed chest, making sure to also have enough bed sheets covering up her lower body. "W-where are my cloths?"

Jellal shrugged with amusement. "I'm not sure? Probably underneath mine in a pile somewhere."

Erza rolled her eyes, and then turned to finally give her host eye contact. However, sh started by scanning his half-naked body"A _towel?_ Your hair's not even wet. And there's no steam from the bathroom which means you clearly haven't taken a shower yet."

Jellal gave her a continued grin. "Right…well I was _waiting_ for you to wake up and join me."

Erza's face was now the color of her hair as she bunched up a large swath of blankets to cover herself further. "No games, Jellal! I want you decent by tonight's practice, or else I'll…"

Jellal walked over to his night stand and grabbed a cup of coffee that was poured right when he woke up. "Yes, well luckily for me you _cancelled_ tonight's practice…"

Erza re-attached her focus to the muscular 28 year old as her eye began to twitch. "What did you do?"

"Me?" Jellal laughed. "I just suggested rewarding your tired team with a night off after our big win. After receiving my advice you texted Makarov and got the 'okay', then you sent the message out to everyone else. I think we also had a round of shots in celebration of the good news?"

"You're lying!" Erza didn't believe him. She grabbed her phone and began swiping through her previous messages.

Jellal smiled again. "No, I'm not. Then you and I left to go fix some silly habit of mine...while also trying to catch up for old time's sake."

Erza looked up and glared at him once again, but then she sniffed around and noticed the room did not smell like cigarettes.

Jellal shrugged. "I'm not smoking am I?"

Erza leaned back with an intrigued expression. "Well, you certainly played me pretty well last night."

Jellal waved his hands in the air. "Oh, no. I was equally as drunk. Mira ordered us a cab and had it sent to my apartment…so anything that happened you could blame on her."

Erza looked angry, especially with his stupid blue haired head looking all smug right back at her, but then noticed she liked the way the sun was hitting his athletic chest. She then sighed. "Well now…who says I'm blaming anyone?"

Jellal liked the answer and jumped back into bed with her. He then grabbed a tiny strand of her gorgeous red hair and placed it under his nose. "Now tell me, should I go ahead and show you my shower, or do you wish for me to remind you about what happened last night at the bar?"

* * *

As those two new acquaintances enjoyed their morning, two more friends were actually outside enjoying the sunlight at a street side café.

"Wow, it really is a beautiful day!" Levy let out a glowing smile as her beautiful blue hair sat under a wide, cream colored sun hat. She also had a matching smock top with an orange undershirt on with navy blue capri pants and a pair of blue flip flops

To the other side of the table, Gajeel rolled his eyes wearing a black athletic jacket over a plain grey t-shirt. He also wore dark blue jeans and had a pair of street basketball shoes on as well.

Finally he wore all black sunglasses and hid his rolling eyes as she he slouched on the table. "Why the hell are we here again?'

Levy turned and gave him a grin. "Because you promised you'd take me out for a meal today! Last night you and I said we should get to know each other more, and so here we are!"

Gajeel nearly repeated himself. "No, but why are _we_ here? I get that we're employees, but this whole thing just seems kind of random to me."

"Oh…" Levy realized what he meant, and she also understood his confusion. "I dunno…you just seem like you're having a hard time connecting to the team."

Gajeel grabbed his glass of water. "And what are you, my mom?"

Levy frowned. "No, it's not that…but…" She then remembered that text she sent out the other night, and how Gajeel was the only one who responded.

Levy grabbed her own drink and shrugged. "I mean I just thought we were in a similar situation. I didn't have to plan the meal if you didn't…"

"AGH!" Gajeel yelled. "Where's the damn waiter at!?" He then looked to Levy and sighed. "Look I appreciate what you're doing here kid…" He then stopped as her large brown eyes met him half way. "Anyway…what does the league think about you now? You get that mess cleaned up with a couple of wins?"

Now Levy looked like a happy little child. She grabbed her phone and swiped through her news apps. "Well, they're saying Magnolia's wins look convincing! Natsu and Gray have brought a new spark to the team, and veteran transfers Gajeel and Jellal are just the tools Laxus needed to get a couple of early wins."

Gajeel laughed and finished of his drink. "See? I told ya those morons would change their attitude with a few wins."

Then, he grabbed a menu from the table. "So what's good to eat here, anyway?"

* * *

Now, we find ourselves half way through the day as Juvia enjoys an afternoon alone in her wide open living room.

She tried to focus on her cooking text books, but had to stop every once in a while to reminisce over the night before.

"Ahhh…" She leaned back and grabbed a glass of tea from the side table. "That was a wonderful evening last night…I wish I could have fun like that every time Bora leaves." She then got sad and realized something.

" _Bora_ …oh, I can't believe he's going to stay another night down in Cait Shelter…he must have a busy deal."

Randomly flipping through pages, her mind lost focus again as another memory from last night rang through her mind.

 _"Well, if he's still out tomorrow, maybe you can show me around your favorite spots in town?"_

Juvia dropped her book and lied back on the soft and fluffy couch cushions behind her head. "Ohhh he was soo friendly. I never expected him to act like that." She then held her heart and looked to her phone.

"I mean…he did make the implication."

Across town, Gray was enjoying some alone time for himself in his equally large apartment complex. He was jogging on his very expensive treadmill system with no shirt and black running shorts as he smiled and nodded.

"Yep! This beats Erza's crazy practices any day! I wonder what made her cancel tonight's…?" He would have continued the thought, but stopped as his phone began to vibrate on the treadmill's tray stand.

"Hmm?" He asked himself as he looked at the message. "Is that…Juvia? When did she? …Oh right, we swapped numbers after dinner."

He remembered seeing Meldy and Lyon getting into a cab together and rolling his eyes at the silliness of their hook-up. Then, the kind small forward walked Juvia home around the block, and it must have been there when they took each other's information.

Without any more thought, Gray grabbed the phone and read the message.

 **"Hey…it's Juvia. From last night haha. I'm just letting you know Bora won't be home for another night…hopefully he'll be back for your game."**

Gray raised an eye brow. "Why do I have the feeling she's trying to plan something…?" He then paused for a second and leaned further into his phone to get a closer look "Bora will _not_ be home again."

Confused, he pulled the power key from the treadmill and stopped his run. "Man, why do I even give a crap?! I don't even know these people! I don't understand why I feel the need to get involved?" He sighed and grabbed his water bottle while looking at his phone.

"…AGH! Man why did I get involved in the first place…something's not right about this Bora guy, and I'm going to figure it out."

He then opened up his phone and sent back a new message to the eager Juvia.

 **"Sorry to hear that…does that make you free for tonight?"**

* * *

 **Okay, looks like Gray is gonna play the role of a detective..but he might as well have fun with it! New chapter soon!**


	16. 16 - When Magnolias Bloom

**Author's Note: Okay here is another chapter! This one is pretty fun, so please enjoy!**

 **Two extra concerns:**

 **1.) Today is Super Tuesday here in the United States voting world, and although I am from Ohio (and we do not vote today) I must urge everyone who is eligible to please venture outside and perform your civic duty today (if you vote in any of the 12 states.) No, this is not a political statement. You will never here me pandering for one political side, and I will never care if you vote for one party or the other. Even if you're voting for someone I agree with or do not, please go out and let your voice be heard. (There's my public announcement for the day haha...unless you plan on voting for _ONE_ particular male candidate...then we need to have a chat lol.)**

 **2.) I RELEASED A NEW STORY TODAY! ...yay? Do not worry, it will _NOT_ steal focus from _Hardcourt Heros_! But please stop by my page to find it (It involves another AU centering around Gajeel and Levy...a whole new world for me haha!)**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail_. Bonus: this story was Beta-read by  BarelyProdigies**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen - When Magnolias Bloom

* * *

After a full day of being alone with awkward conversations through texts, Juvia now stood in the foyer of her boyfriend's large apartment as she looked at herself in the mounted wall mirror.

Her hair was down and she wore dark jeans with a tight blue jacket and white shirt underneath. Finally she wore a dark blue Cossack hat to match her jacket, and she stood in front of the glass reflection as she shook with timid anxiety.

"Oh, I remember Gray being taken back by how overdressed Meldy and I were the other night…I hope this is better."

She went to sit back down, but as soon as she turned a knock fell upon the door. Right away her heart started to beat faster and faster as a faint smile brushed across her face. Without any more hesitation, the anxious blue haired girl opened up the door to reveal Gray Fullbuster wearing a dark blue jacket with a white collar, and a red undershirt with a v-neck collar beneath. He also wore light-washed jeans and black shoes as his hair was messy and blown around to one side like usual.

Juvia lit up as soon as she saw the athlete in street clothes and began to speak. "Well hello! I was just waiting for you!"

Gray laughed. "No kidding! It's like you were right there! You look good by the way."

 _"OOOHHHHH!"_ She screamed in her internal thoughts. _"HE SAID I LOOK GOOD BY THE WAY!"_

Juvia was nearly lost inside her own romantic bubble as Gray turned to walk down the hallway. "You coming? I wanna get there before things start getting crowded."

"Oh! Right! Juvia grabbed her bag and ran for her partner in the night as they turned and left the apartment hallway.

Now, the two young friends began walking down the warm but breezy streets of Magnolia as the sun was slowly starting to sink over the horizon.

Gray held his hands behind his head. "So I've never been here, but I guess the reviews say it's just like Fairy Tail?"

Juvia nodded. "Oh yes! It's also pretty casual too so we don't have to worry about looking too underdressed."

Gray laughed. "Sounds good! Man how about that club your cousin took us all too after dinner last night? That was pretty crazy huh?"

Juvia blushed at the past sight of her mature-but-still-in-high school cousin flirting with Lyon as they walked out the door. "Y-yea, that was quite the night."

Gray took his hands down and stuffed them into his pockets. "I guess Lyon really liked her, but then again she is looking to go to Margaret U for college so maybe it isn't so bad."

Juvia nodded. "Yes, well Meldy is 18, and she has always been very mature for her age. I think she gets it from her sister. If I'm not mistaken her sister actually dated Jellal Fernandes not too long ago."

"Really?" Gray looked intrigued. "Man, I heard he gets around, but damn. I never even knew he had ever been to Magnolia before this year…" He then remembered why he was one this "date" in the first place.

Awkwardly waiting for the right moment, Gray then asked a new question. "Soo…no Bora again?"

Juvia frowned. "Yes, I'm afraid he decided to stay in Cait Shelter for another night. He gets so busy on these trips I'm not sure how his company can afford to have him travel so much."

Gray looked sorry to see her down. "Does it get kinda hard with him leaving all the time?"

Juvia crossed her arms as they continued walking. "Um…yes to be honest I am left alone more than desired. I really like him too, so it makes everything even worse…"

Gray smiled. "Well I mean that's good to hear!" He still wasn't satisfied, but for now he had to stick with the information given to him.

* * *

Now we find ourselves later in the night following an entirely different couple inside a far more luxurious restaurant. Jellal Fernandes pulled the large bottle of red wine out of the table bucket and poured himself a new glass. He then offered some to his lovely dinner date, Erza, who shortly nodded and allowed for a second cup.

She watched him pour the glass, all while trying to contain her anger just by looking at him. He could tell she was starting to have second thoughts for coming to dinner, so as a result Jellal tried to make things comfortable. "Eat and drink all you like, Erza. It's sort of my apology for everything that happened last night. I hope I haven't tried being too forward..."

Erza took the wine glass and gave him a tiny but reasonable smirk. "So as I remember from this morning, I believe you skipped out on telling me the story behind your tattoo."

Jellal raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat. "Is that so? I wouldn't be surprised…we did have an amazing morning together. "He reached over and grabbed her free hand like they had been dating for years.

Erza didn't like where it was going at first, but she blushed and looked him in his eyes. "So tell me, what's the story?"

Jellal grabbed his glass and took a drink before going into details. "Well obviously it happened over my two year break. I had just declared free agency, and while I was okay with the idea of leaving the FBA, I was still a little shell-shocked with the thought of dropping basketball entirely. So I began by travelling around the continent to find a new path for myself."

Erza nodded. "Yes, I remember hearing you spent some brief time down in the southern isles?"

Jellal nodded. "Very good. I traveled out to the warmer climate of Galuna Island roughly 4 or 5 months after I quit the FBA. The locals there are far removed from the modern world, so they had very simplistic life styles and morals guiding their society." He then held up both hands as he described their culture.

"They appeared to have a very similar game to basketball, only it involved your feet and a very large net on both ends of a square field. The idea was you had to kick it around to team mates for a certain amount of times, and then you were allowed to shoot on target and score on the net."

Erza let out a laugh. "Oh so were you any good at this game?"

Jellal waved his hands around. "Hold on, I'm getting there. So I decided to test my feet for the game, and it was a lot harder than I thought. Then, after a few days, making new friends, and drinking some of their delicious local beverages, I decided to challenge the village's best player. If I won he would let me teach the entire village basketball, and if I lost, they could brand me with their village tattoo without my approval."

Erza nearly spit out her last sip as she tried to hold in her laugh. "So I guess they still have no idea what basketball is?"

Jellal tipped his glass. "Actually I won, and now they do...I took the tattoo as a souvenir. I liked the idea of leaving with a living memory of such a wonderful island."

Erza almost sat speechless as more red creeped across her face. "O-oh…so you chose to get the tattoo?"

Jellal grinned and took a sip. "Yes, and now that I think about it; I really like the color they gave me…" He smiled as he looked to her equally red hair.

Erza froze in her seat. She remembered how he was before that 2 year break, and that trip to Galuna Island. They dated briefly back in her early sophomore year. She went to watch an FBA game in her college town of Hargeon versus Crocus with her team, and Jellal found her afterwords at the bars downtown. He was so smooth back then as well...she never expected him to leave the way he did.

"Y-yea, I do too." Erza then let out an honest smile and grabbed his free hand once again. "I'm also glad I got to see it for myself."

Jellal and Erza locked eyes from across their small table as the Shooting Guard spoke next. "So tell me, how did you manage to get a job working for the FBA? I remember you once told me how you would hope to play in the WFBA tot pursue a career of your own?"

Erza looked to the table and frowned. "Oh, that's a complicated story…to be honest I had to go behind a few of my friends' backs just to get it. We were all dead set on getting drafted together, but in reality I never wanted to pursue playing for a career. I always wanted to be a coach, and since the men's league pays better I figured I would start out with a lower tier franchise and see where I go from there."

Jellal took another drink. "Hmm, that is quite a predicament. Apologies but after jogging my memory I only remember you from Hargeon, but your teammates aren't coming to mind."

Erza graciously answered. "Well, I was the team point guard, our Small Forward was Kagura Mikazuchi who was also a top recruit."

Jellal nodded. "Yes I recall her name as well."

Erza continued. "Then a very close friend of mine, Milliana, played as our shooting guard. Araña Webb transferred to play as our Power Forward, and Risley Law was our team's center…"

Jellal jumped in. "Hmm, you sound like you were quite fond of their play?"

Erza nodded. "Yes, they were all phenomenal athletes…and we also had a very talented bench player who transferred from a college in Saber City…Minerva Orlando."

 _*Cough*_ Jellal's heart froze as he nearly choked on his wine. "I-I'm sorry who was that?"

Erza looked equally shocked by his reaction. "Um…Minerva Orlando?"

Jellal knew that name. He had known it from a distant past, just before her senior year in Hargeon playing with Erza…Jellal dated her too.

However, for obvious reasons he wasn't comfortable with talking to Erza about that. Jellal never knew why, but back on that first night they met, he always remembered Erza was special. That's possibly the reason he's tried so hard to re-mend the broken bridge between them.

He leaned back and nodded with a nonchalant expression. "Oh never mind, different last name. Tell me, you say this Minerva was pretty talented, yet she still played on the bench?"

Erza eyes narrowed in her memory. "Yes, she was an interesting player. After she arrived we all wondered how we were ever going to win. She kept trying to pit each of us against one another, just so that she would have a suitable roster for her own needs. That's why our coach benched her, and nearly threatened to make her quit as a result."

Jellal swallowed a lump in his throat, and remembered his hook up with Minerva was awfully close to his few nights with Erza. "So…I'm assuming you're not very fond of her?"

Erza tried to control her horrible memories of playing with such a rotten player. "Yes. You could say that."

Jellal tried to collect himself as he grabbed the bottle of wine and popped the cork. "Well, these sound like hard memories for you to recite. Here let me tell you about my championship run with the Crocus Roses…if you don't already remember that is."

* * *

The next morning we discover that Jellal and Gray are not the only two who have decided to hold onto their new friendships.

"Wow, I never knew Magnolia had a park like this!" Levy McGarden smiled as she wore a casual orange skirt and top and walked through the famous South Gate Park of Magnolia.

She was also joined by Gajeel, who chose to wear black athletic pants and a grey t-shirt. "Yea, I guess you're right. The weather is pretty warm for this time of year."

It was still early September, but that didn't mean summer would last forever. The season of autumn was slowly approaching, and Levy and Gajeel used this day to venture around the park to try and capture one last glimpse at the fully green trees. Levy waked ahead as she tried balancing on the edge of an artificial lake's edge. "So are you read for the game Monday? Acalypha is pretty decent this year."

Gajeel howled. "HA! Those puff balls? It was bad enough to have those losers Ichiya and Ren on their team, but then they go and snag those other pretty boys Eve and Hibiki in the draft. It's like they're askin to get their asses kicked."

Levy had no choice but to giggle. "Well, they are pretty good…" She then slowed down and matched Gajeel's pace. "And you know, it doesn't hurt to care about your appearance once in a while."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "What are you tryin to say?"

Levy shrugged. "Oh nothing…I'm just saying you like to wear the same kind of cloths every day. It wouldn't be a bad thing if someone took you out cloths shopping."

Gajeel slowly understood where she was going with her sneaky conversation. "Is that so? Well gee…aren't you friendly."

Levy never even decided to wait for his response. "Come on! Magnolia has some nice shops uptown!"

One after the other, Levy drug her employed Power Forward around town in search of a new men's wardrobe. Yet outfit after outfit Gajeel still would not cooperate and tell her what he was thinking.

Then, Levy found herself sitting in a waiting area as Gajeel finished up with another outfit.

"Hurry up, Gajeel! There's no way you'll like anything in this store either!" She sighed as she decided to pull out a book from her purse to read in wait.

"Agh don't get your panties in a bunch, Girlie." Gajeel snapped back from inside the dressing room. He then opened the door and clapped his hands.

"Ya know I think I'm starting to get some style here, Gihi!" He laughed and showed off a mocha brown button up shirt with the sleeves rolled, and also wore all-white slim fit slacks with black shoes. Levy froze while looking as Gajeel walked over and placed his foot up on the couch seat beside her. "But ya know what? This sorta outfit is a bit too fancy for me to wear around some stinkin park."

Levy's lips quivered as she looked back towards her employee. "Y-yeah? Well what does that mean, exactly?"

"HA! Well duh? I'm takin' you back out tonight and showing off my new outfit!" Gajeel stood back up and howled, and Levy smiled and let out a little blush as Gajeel went to change out of his new cloths.

"And maybe if you're lucky you'll get to hear some of my karaoke." He slammed the door to his booth shut as Levy sat back down.

"W-wow…wait, did he say karaoke!?"

* * *

Now we find ourselves a full day passed inside the apartment of Natsu and Wendy, yet the person we find sitting alone on the couch is neither of those two proper residents.

Romeo Conbolt, the boy Wendy sits in front of in her science class, sat in deep thought as he remembered a horrible thought from Thursday's class.

 _~Flashback: Thursday First Period_

 _"Romeo it's very important you pay attention right now."_

 _The teacher that day was pestering him the entire class period. He held back a heavy sigh as he dug his hands further into his sports hoodie. "Sorry but the bell should have rung by now…er that didn't come out right...sorry, I was just thinking about next class."_

 _Every girl in the class giggled as the bell actually did ring, and once everyone left their seats the teacher called Romeo over for a private discussion._

 _She the reached over and opened her drawer to pull out Romeo's last test. "You see this Romeo? What does it say?" She shook the almost completely red paper in her hand in front of him._

 _"…it says I got a F…So what?" He looked away in annoyance as he began to slowly shift his weight back and forth between his feet in anxiousness._

 _"I'm going to explain it simply Romeo since you clearly want to leave."_

 _He seemed a little happier at that as he gave her his attention._

 _"Bad grades equals NO basketball."_

 _"WHAT! I know that b-but this is only one bad grade! I can bounce back!" His hands seemed to move like lighting as they left his hoodie and down onto the teacher's desk. What neither person knew was that a certain blue haired girl had heard the commotion from the hallway and was now leaning on the door frame outside of the classroom._

 _"One bad grade leads to several, and the only thing I am concerned about is your low standing in class. You cannot just "bounce back" from a grade like this. You need to either get serious about learning the material or find a fellow student to help you." The teacher leaned back in her chair waiting on his response._

 _"Tch. Forget this- I'll be fine on my own." Romeo grabbed his backpack and stomped out of the classroom enraged by what was happening._

 _Now he was struggling at his own locker. Romeo completely missed Wendy leaning against the wall clutching her textbook close to her chest as she wanted to do something, but Romeo looked really mad and was quickly getting away._

 _"What do you want?!" As soon as he felt a tug on his backpack Romeo wanted to unleash his pent up anger on the unfortunate soul who wanted his attention, but immediately stopped when his blue eyes locked with scared yet concerned brown ones._

 _"Ah geez Wendy. I'm sorry for scaring you…" He looked away and ran his hand through his dark purple hair, all while mentally yelling at himself for messing up._

 _Wendy quickly got over her scare and tried comforting him since she could tell he was beating himself up over it. "N-no, don't worry about it."_

 _Both of them looked nervous around the other as they had no idea what to say to each other after that but thankfully Wendy spoke up first._

 _"I couldn't help but hear what happened in the classroom since I was walking by and…uh…I…" She was struggling to finish her sentence as Romeo couldn't help but think how cute she looked in thought._

 _"What?!" He quickly covered his mouth before trying to play it off. He meant to keep his response to the random thought on her looks to himself since he could not believe that thought crossed his mind, but now it looked like he was being a jerk to her for stuttering._

 _"O-oh I wanted to ask you if you wanted to study together…" She looked really nervous as her voice trailed off and her eyes were only focused on the book in her arms._

 _"Study together?...Oh… Oh!" The words study together hit him like a bullet train as he was suddenly both excited and nervous. "But I'm busy with practices all week, and games are on Fridays…"_

 _Wendy sighed. "Well we have that quiz on Monday we can study for."_

 _Romeo spoke without thinking as he could feel himself being shot in the foot. "Are you saying study on like Saturday or something!? That's totally ridiculous I'll just take the bad grade."_

 _"_ _No!" Wendy yelped uncontrollably. Half the hallway turned to look but quickly kept about their day as the timid girl kept arguing with the freshman athlete._

 _"_ _W-we could do it on Sunday? That's a pretty boring day anyway…and maybe we could just do it t my place?"_

 _Romeo froze as his blue eyes widened, and as they did he locked focus with Wendy's brown eyes._

 _Then, reality clicked once again._

 _"N-no yea! Yea that's fine." He blurted out before coughing into his hand a little. "I mean if you are okay with it. We can just study together...as friends er something."_

 _Wendy smiled at the thought of being friends with him, as she was obviously looking forward to making more friends here at school, however this was not like making plans with Sherria or Lucy…to her this felt different._

 _Either way, she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down the address of the apartment._

 _"Come any time after lunch and we can start then!" Wendy looked really determined to be helpful as Romeo held the paper in his hand almost dumbfounded._

 _"Yeah I will, and thanks…" He watched as she walked away and returned her wave goodbye as she disappeared from the view in the hallway._

 _"_ _Why does she care so much…?" He asked as he grabbed his next books for class._

 _~Present day, Sunday Afternoon_

"SORRY ROMEO!" Wendy yelled from the hallway. The timid boy on the couch turned to find her smiling face walking towards her with a pile of books in hand. "I needed to gather all my notes."

Romeo's eye twitched as he looked at the impossibly tall mound of books and notes. "We've only had classes for like a week?!"

"I know..." Wendy said. "And I got an A on Thursday's pop quiz. So let's get started!"

* * *

Now, we come across Natsu Dragneel, who is ending a quick jog around his downtown neighborhood and quickly approaching his apartment building.

"Ah! Boy that felt good. I need to go out jogging more often!" He then smiled as he walked up to the entrance and opened the door. "Maybe I can get one of the guys to go with me next time, or hey maybe Erza or Lucy would go! They both look like those sort of nut job fitness types!" He laughed to himself as he began a cooldown run up the stairs and onto his floor.

Then, he arrived to his room. "Okay! Wendy, I'm home from my…!"

He stopped smiling as he stepped into the small hallway foyer right inside his apartment door, and noticed an extra pair of shoes with Wendy's…and they appeared to be a _boy's_.

"Grrr…" Natsu growled underneath his breath. "Either Lucy's over here and she started wearing boy's shoes, or someone is in some serious trouble…" Natsu slowly stormed through the hallway and yelled as he entered into the living room. "Okay Wendy! Where are ya!?"

"Huh!?" Wendy's head shot up from the couch like a little prairie dog. She looked extremely nervous, and actually her hair was sort of in tatters and out of place as well.

Natsu's eye began to twitch as he saw his young sister looking so nervously over the back of the couch. "Wendy…were you taking a nap?"

Wendy's eyes grew twice their normal size as her lips began to quiver. "I uh…y-yea I dosed off while studying…"

Natsu's expression didn't change. "Oh…well I like those new tennis shoes you bought in the hallway. What are those like size 10 or 11 men's?"

Wendy had no idea what to say. "Natsu…we were just sleeping. Honesty we just fell asleep while studying and…"

Natsu stormed over to see the couch during her plea as the Romeo boy from Wendy's class was passed out sleeping on the couch. The elder Dragneel let fire fill his veins as he grabbed the hood from Romeo's sweatshirt and yanked him onto the floor and wide awake in the light of the window.

"AH!" Romeo yelled out in surprise from his rude awakening until he saw the angry face looking his way. "N-no way…YOU'RE NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

"Yea…" Natsu reluctantly answered.

Romeo smiled and looked to a very embarrassed Wendy. "Whoa! You weren't lying! He is your brother!"

Wendy turned away. "Yea, but you'll wish I was lying here in a little bit…"

Natsu drug Romeo to his feet and grabbed him by the collar. "Okay kid, were you two really just sleepin' like my sister said!?"

Romeo froze with fear. "Y-yeah, Natsu…we were studying for a science quiz tomorrow, and next thing ya know we're both fast asleep."

Natsu looked him in the eye. "Really!? RIGHT on top of each other?!"

Romeo now wished he was out of the apartment. "I fell asleep first! I have no idea what happened after that!"

Natsu held his breath. "Agh…huh?" He then looked to Wendy whose skin was completely changed to a dark shade of red. "So you leaned over to him, and…?"

Natsu let go as Romeo slowly left the room after quickly stuffing his book and notes in his bag. "Um…I'm gonna get outta here." He went to leave but gave Wendy a tiny little wave. "I-I'll see ya tomorrow, I guess."'

Wendy kept her head down to the floor as Romeo left the apartment. Natsu on the other hand squared his attention right to his little sister. "Wendy…do you like that kid?"

Now, the little blue haired girl shook with rage. "Y-yea Natsu maybe I do! Why does it matter!?" A tiny tear filled one of her eyes as Natsu walked over and gave her a hug.

"Hey, I'm sorry I behaved like! I didn't…look, it's just that not too long ago I was in high school too…and when high school boys are left in a room alone with girls and no adults…things happen."

Wendy continued to pout as her brother hugged her. "Natsu, you don't always have to watch over me. I am growing up, you know?"

Natsu laughed and patted the back of her head. "No yea I getcha ya…actually it's all kinda funny."

Wendy looked up and wiped the tear from her eye. "Why is it funny?"

Natsu gave his sister a quirky grin. "I mean that Romeo kid kind of reminded me of me in high school, hehe!"

"NATSU!?" Wendy smacked him in the chest and ran to her room. "WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU SAY THAT!?" She slammed her bedroom door closed as Natsu laughed some more.

"Hehe…eh that'll keep her locked away for a little while." He then thought about his maturing high school sister and sighed.

"Agh…maybe Lucy can help me out with this Wendy thing again…"

* * *

 **Well that was sweet. This chapter ended on a Sunday in story, so tomorrow will probably be at least half a game. Whoo!**


	17. 17 - Fight with the Pegasus

**Author's Note: Okay! Back to a little basketball. Man is it just me, or are the Fairies starting to get really good!**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen - "Fight" with the Pegasus

* * *

"AND THE FAIRIES TAKE A BIGGER LEAD WITH 3 EXTRA POINTS! Man those Pegasus players sure need to fix their game plan by next game!"

The Magnolia Play-by-play announcer Max yelled into his microphone as the home team fans deliver the loudest cheer he had ever heard during his tenure with the team. Right now the Fairies were sitting with a 20 point lead with 2 minutes to go, and they were also staring down a 3-1 record once the night was over. However, the Fairy players weren't all feeling equally as hot as they began to vent during a TV time out.

"Hey nice shot Jellal!" Natsu said as he patted his shooting guard on the back with praise.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Yea Natsu that's what happens when you pass a ball."

Natsu started getting defensive. "What'd you say punk?! As far as I can remember you definitely weren't the one who delivered his pass."

"Yea?" Laxus stood in between them. "Well Natsu you fumbled the damn ball after Ren from Acalypha tipped it out of your hands. The only reason Jellal got it was because Gajeel was there…"

"OY DON'T GO BRINGIN' ME IN TO THIS!" Gajeel stormed over to take his defense.

Laxus face-palmed. "Gajeel, I was helping your case…"

Jellal stepped into the debate and raised his hands. "Look, Natsu meant no foul tying to take the game into his hands. He's still leading the team in assists. And Gray you lead us on the free throw line which is where the bulk of our lead is coming from. We're all bringing elements of our own talent to this victory, and we need to just drop the argument and finish the game."

Everyone sighed and raised their hands for a quick "TEAM!", and as the huddle cleared, Natsu walked back out with Gray.

"Agh look…I wasn't tryin' ta yell at ya, I know what you meant…"

Gray rubbed his hands through his hair. "Yea, no problem. And for the record I wasn't tryin' to single you out…"

To be completely honest nothing about the actual game bothered him. As he returned to the court, Gray was left with an awkward sight of Bora and Juvia back together on the sideline seating, and the two looked to be equally happy.

"Mgh…" Gray let out a faint grunt in confusion as Mest blew the whistle yet again to signal for the clock to roll. Right away the Acalypha point guard took the ball down the court.

"Okay, my lovely _meeen!_ Watch as my wonderful Athletic Parfum ascends us back into greatness!"

The Acalypha shooting Guard smiled and flipped his lush blonde hair. "Whatever you say, _Ichiya Sir_. We're always behind you every step of the way."

The tiny troll of a Point Guard nodded to his young teammate and then began dribbling the ball around his perimeter. Yet as he began to dribble too fast, Natsu charged up and slapped the ball out of his hands.

"Hehe! Okay Gajeel!" Natsu yelled behind as he also tossed the ball right for the rim.

"THANKS!" Gajeel howled with laughter and slammed the ball into the net and added 2 more points to the Magnolia lead. Fans nearly fell out of their seats as the stadium shook with tenacity. In fact the entire sight was complete confusing for a veteran like Laxus.

 _"_ _Geeze…"_ He thought in confusion. _"Are they really that bat shit crazy over our team?"_

He would soon find the answer as the game quickly came to an end and the fans erupted with chaos. A 25 point lead for the Fairies of Magnolia, and their highest margin of victory in nearly 10 years.

"HAHA!" Natsu stood on top of an empty seat and looked to the lower crowd of crazed fanatics. "WE'RE TAKIN' YOU GUYS TO CROCUS HERE IN MARCH! WE'RE WINNIN' THAT TROPHY AHAHA!"

"Come on man, it's only a 3-1 record." Laxus laughed standing alone as he looked over to Natsu. As he stood waiting for other players, however, the opponent head coach got to him first.

"Great game, Laxus. I love seeing you handsome young Fairies get a win in the South Game Arena."

"Agh…thanks Bob…" Laxus awkwardly stuck his hand out and shook the hand of the eccentric Acalypha coach Bob, who believe it or not used to play for Magnolia back in the day.

However, before Laxus could get away Bob leaned in for a serious conversation. "Hey, I noticed that old bat Warrod likes coming to your games now. How did your grandfather talk him in to coming back?"

"Huh?" Laxus pondered. "Nah, Heartfilia brings Sequen to our games."

"Ohh?" Bob scratched his short haired chin. "The owner bringing in a very wealthy former player…interesting. Well I'll leave you young Fairies to the celebration!" He then waddled off with all his strange kindness and left Laxus to ponder on awe.

"Yea…that _is_ interesting…"

Now we find Gray Fullbuster, who was heading back to the tunnel alone, until Gajeel followed him in.

"Hey what's the matter you not gonna say bye bye to your little friend?"

Gray stopped and turned. "Eh, Bora's back in town so I'm sure she has all the company she could need."

Gajeel held his head back. "Man, I _was_ talkin' about Bora…who the hell were you…?"

"AGH!" Gray tried to walk faster into the exit as Gajeel leaned back into the stadium to see Bora's guest, and then he howled with laughter.

"BAHAHAHAHA! NO WAY! You thought I was talking about that broad! AHHAHAHA…wait, why do you think I was talking about her?"

Gray froze in his fast walk to answer. "I…I dunno actually."

Gajeel let out another small laugh and began to walk past his stationary friend. "Yea? Well figure it out, cause otherwise you're flirtin with death."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

Gajeel turned to look his way. "Look, Bora's a crazy fan of mine, and I know him pretty well…I also hear about the stories of all the guys that try hookin' up with his little lady friend. Let's just say it's better to spit the food out early rather than tryin to pay for the meal." He then turned and left into the dark.

Gray narrowed his eyes and turned back to just see Bora in his vision. "Hmmm, well that's just great…"

Now, we return to the court where we find Jellal finishing up an interview with Chapati Lola. Erza Scarlett waited patiently beside Coach Dreyar before giving him a congratulatory hand shake, but before she got a head of herself, the young red head paused as a very pretty blonde ran over to greet him first.

"Hey Cutie!" The blonde knock out wore a very sparkly pink dress with a short black jacket over it as she kicked one leg back in the air in her hug with Jellal.

The uncomfortable Shooting Guard cracked a smile. "Jenny…it's been a while."

The girl named Jenny grabbed both his hands. "Awe, I know it has! I'm just glad my uncle Bob let me travel with the team to see you guys! Ya know…you played _really_ well tonight?" She gave him a wink as she leaned in closer than he wanted.

Jellal tried to keep his cheeks from turning the same color of his tattoo. "Yes well that's what happens when my team is equally as talented."

Jenny laughed again. "Awe, you're still the modest one, always giving credit to everyone else. Hey that reminds me, I'm in town for an extra night after…"

"Jellal…"

The man with that name froze as a familiar voice crept up from behind his conversation, and as he and Jenny turned, his young red haired assistant coach (and very close friend) appeared beside him.

Jenny started to laugh. "Oh I'm sorry it looks like a fan wants an autograph."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "I'm the assistant coach."

Jenny stuttered. "O-oh you're really young for a coach…" She then noticed Jellal's tense attitude an Erza's angry expression and quickly began to laugh.

"Oh this is rich…I had no idea you liked them so _young_ , Jellal…" Without another word, Jenny kissed him on the cheek and left the two to awkwardly look away from one another as Jellal spoke first.

"I-I'll…I'll meet you outside the locker room."

Erza didn't want to respond she was too angry, but sadly her heart took over. "…Fine."

As those two had their tiny little "feud", Natsu Dragneel was running around furiously trying to find his usual after game acquaintance, but yet again he found her in the least desired place possible.

"So Hibiki, you say 'no comment' on the game…but you still feel the need to remind me that you're _free l_ ater tonight?"

The dirty-blonde haired athlete for the Pegasus team smiled and gave her a wink with his stunning blue eyes. "Yes I did have a pretty good game. And as for tonight? Well, it would _really_ help if I had a local tour guide to show me all her favorite spots about town."

Lucy sank in anger. "Hmm…it says here you're a _shooting guard_ , but if you ask me you're coming off a little too _forward_."

Hibiki let out a laugh. "AH! Pretty and witty! You're beauty is so poetic it's leaving me with nothing but rhymes."

Before she could respond, Natsu walked up from behind. "Yo! Glad to see you down here again!"

"Natsu?!" Lucy quickly turned as Hibiki raised an eyebrow. Then, without acknowledging her original interviewee, Lucy let out a giggle.

'"Ahah! _There_ you are! I was looking all over for you!" She then smiled to Hibiki and locked her arm with Natsu.

As the pink haired boy looked on with utter confusion, Lucy began walking the other way while still waving towards Hibiki. "So sorry! But I already have plans! Good game either way!"

"Geeze, and she calls me forward?" Hibiki was left with nothing but confusing thoughts as he scratched his head and walked back to his team.

As soon as they made it halfway a crossed the court Natsu undid her hold. "Okay what the hell was that about!?"

Lucy kept an evil eye back on the bench of Acalypha. "Eh just using you to avoid some trash…anyway what's up?" She then remembered who she was talking to. "Oh I mean good game Natsu! …hehe, er what's up?"

Her second time was a little cutesier as Natsu still looked baffled. "Yea, whatever. Listen I gotta talk with ya…Wendy has this crush on a kid from school, and now she's bringing him over to study at our place."

Lucy let out a smile. "Awe is it Romeo? Oh I knew they'd get together! …Eh, sorry if that makes you uncomfortable."

Natsu remembered Lucy and the other girls at Heights Prep really knew Wendy pretty well. "Nah…I'm happy for her, it's just kinda hard to deal with."

Lucy agreed. "I understand, and I imagine you want my help on how to cope with it?"

Natsu grinned. "Well yea sure! That or sort of keep an eye on her at school for me."

Lucy paused and tried to go back to the first option, because there was also something else. "O-oh well hey why don't I head back over to your place sometime this week and we can talk about it then?"

Natsu chuckled. "Hehe you want to come back over to _my_ place? Man I thought for sure I scared you away last time."

Lucy frowned. "Eh, somehow I thought so too, but then I remembered…a lot of my friends are wanting me to host a big party one of these weekends where my dad is out of town, and with Homecoming coming up I figured I could try then."

Natsu looked concerned. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not payin' for any booze. Also I'm not likin' the whole 'peer pressure' thing."

Lucy wanted to hit him in the eye for that comment. "Yea thanks dad…anyway you seem to be pretty good at handling liquor…maybe you could help me handle it too? Or at least let me sample a few drinks before I find one I like?"

Natsu started to laugh even more. "HA! Ah sure...if I even know how to do that? Hell you can even stop by tonight if ya want! We'll celebrate the victory in style!"

Lucy shook her head. "Um it's a Monday, so no thanks…but hey maybe this weekend sometime?"

Natsu turned to catch coach Dreyar in the corner of his eye. "Okay sure! If you help me I'll help you!" He then smiled and waved as he turned to join his coach in the tunnel.

The wealthy daughter of Jude sighed and looked to the floor. _"Yea Lucy that was really smart…NOT…Oh man what am I gonna do? I have no idea how he's gonna teach me to be a better drinker!? I just said that to sound cool…"_

She then wondered back to the stadium stairs and began to think some more as Levy McGarden came scurrying down after her.

"Hey Lucy! You're dad wanted me to come fetch you…he was worried your interviews were getting too lengthy."

Lucy rolled her eyes and showed Levy her practically empty sheet of paper. "Yea? Well I guess I got a whole lot of questions answered..." She then smiled back. "So did you give Gajeel a little congrats tonight?"

Levy smiled back. "I don't need to! We're going out again after the game!"

Lucy grabbed her hands and laughed in excitement. "Levy that's awesome! Oh I'm soo excited for you!"

"Um excuse me…you wouldn't happen to be Levy McGarden would you? The Fairy GM?"

Lucy and Levy froze as a timid girl with blue hair was trying to walk up the same row of stairs in her exit as she looked up to Levy with two blank blue eyes.

Levy was confused. "Um yea…that's me?"

The girl looked even more nervous as she kept an eye on a very obnoxious man slowly following her from the court. Before he arrived the girl blurted out a request.

"Oh…C-could you tell Gray that Juvia thought he played well tonight?"

Lucy and Levy went to respond, but Bora finally caught up to their group. As he eyed Lucy and Levy with a very drawn out stair he grinned. "Come on honey…let's keep moving."

Apparently liking what he saw, Bora finally broke his view of Lucy and Levy and directed Juvia up the stairs. Levy remained totally confused while Lucy's eye began to twitch.

"Ya see? THAT's the kinda crap that makes me hate this place sometimes!"

Levy pondered. "Yea…I wonder why she wants us to tell Gray good job for her? Anyway I saw you talking to Natsu just a minute ago…"

Lucy frantically looked to see if her dad was still up in the balcony. "Oh please tell me dad wasn't with you!?"

Levy held Lucy's arms to try and calm her down. "Hey relax. I only saw you two as I was coming down. Your dad had to escort Warrod out of the box. Hey, are you actually seeing him now?"

Lucy froze trying to deliver an answer. "I don't know…I mean he asked if I could come see him this weekend."

Levy giggled with excitement. "Oooh! I knew It! That's so nice of him to invite you over!"

Lucy laughed. "Ahaha, yea… _he_ invited _me_ over…I just wanted to have a few drinks with him before I threw a party for homecoming. Ya know, just to expand my palate on some of the beverages I plan to serve."

Levy winked and nudged Lucy in the arm. "Yea yea, I know what 'expand your palate means'…I remember my high school homecoming after all."

Levy turned and began walking up the stairs as Lucy sighed and followed in tow, yet as she did, another thought brushed her mind.

 _"_ _Hmm…the party is going to be after the Homecoming dance, but I might go out and have a few drinks before hand too…maybe it's be better if he came along for that as well?"_

* * *

 **Well Lucy seems to getting some of her priorities straightened...but now she wants to have Natsu tag along with her senior homecoming...I wonder what she means by that?**

 **Also no direct contact with Gruvia, but they sure do seem to regret ignoring one another!**

 **...Also WTF Jellal?! How many girls have you been with!? Erza, Minerva, Ultear, Jenny!? The list is gonna grow too! ...I hope Erza is comfortable with that.**

 **New chapter soon!**


	18. 18 - Turn of the Season

**Author's Note: Wow we're really on number 18 already!? Man I feel like I blinked and poof we made it here! Good stuff.**

 **Hey can I thank you guys for leaving such awesome comments!? I like seeing the favs and follows, but TBH I never really count those often...the comments though? I LOVE seeing readers leave reviews for my stories! Keep up the good work, and hopefully you're liking my work in return! Enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen - The Turn of the Season

* * *

After the long but easy game vs the Acalypha Pegasus team, the victorious Fairies all marched down to the FT Tavern for a few celebratory drinks and laughs.

In the series of booths sat all the starters, bench players, cheerleaders, and even an outside friend or two. However the main focus needed to be placed primarily on the first booth which housed the 4 elder friends, Erza, Jellal, Mirajane, and Laxus.

Right away, Laxus thumbed through his phone with widened eyes. "Hey babe, you seeing this?" He asked with a loud expression. "We're first in the east right now!"

Mira giggled and sipped on her Monday night cocktail. "Awe you're so adorable, Laxus! You do realize it's still early in the season right?"

Laxus laughed and grabbed his glass of beer. "Duh? I'm just saying we can actually establish a decent heading in the group this season."

As Laxus continued to smile at all his team's praise, Mira blinked her eyes in admiration for her boyfriend. She had never seen him so happy during a Fairies season, this was all new to both of them. Either way however, she really liked the new peppy Laxus.

Smiling in admiration, Mira turned to their guests across the table. "Well you two have been awfully quiet tonight. Is everything alright?"

Erza kept her hands on her lap and eyes on the table, as Jellal sat beside her looking out the window. Erza went to say something but Jellal finally broke his own silence.

"No, it's just an old friend of mine rudely caught me as I was leaving the court tonight…"

Erza snapped her eyes right towards Jellal. _"He sounds like he didn't want to see her?"_

Laxus laughed while still looking at his phone. "Yea I saw that chick come up to you after the game. She was pretty cute. You thinkin' about…?"

Mira smacked him on the leg before he continued, and Jellal laughed.

"No, truth be told I knew her…and she's not someone I was looking to see again."

Erza froze as he then looked to her empty glass. "Here, let me out and I'll get you another."

Erza blushed and smiled again as Laxus now read the scene. "Oooo I getcha…no no, I'll get the server over and order us all another round."

Jellal nodded and smiled, but then Erza grabbed his hand and held it on her lap. After getting his attention she smiled. "Thank you, though."

On the other side of the booth seat sat four other guests. Here Gajeel, Levy, Natsu, and Gray all sat together with empty drinks in their hands as Natsu was mimicking Laxus's curiosity.

"WHOA GUYS ARE YOU SEEING THIS!? We're _AHEAD_ in the East!"

Levy smiled and nodded. "Yea that's great, Natsu! Only, we're still kinda early in the season."

Gajeel chewed on a toothpick. "Hey, let the man enjoy the win. After all this is Magnolia. We may not see another one all year."

Levy shook her head. "Oh stop that! This team is completely different that it was last year."

Natsu agreed. "No kidding! Check this out! 'Magnolia GM and new coaching moves might be key to the Fairies' rising success!' This guy here is really helpin ya out Levy!"

Levy widened her eyes. "R-really? Oh man, those reporters flip flop on my hire all the time. Eh, it is nice to hear some good media coverage though."

Natsu then scrolled through the rest of his phone. "Yea, man I wish Lucy would post something new. I usually like her stuff."

Gajeel laughed. "Yea? You and like 20 other morons. They're probably all just high school boys she goes to school with lookin to get an easy peak at…"

"Gajeel!" Levy smacked him on the arm before he could continue. Levy then gave Natsu another smile. "So hey, Lucy thought about coming tonight, Natsu?"

He stopped looking at his phone and smiled right back. "Oh really!? Man I told her we could hang out tonight, but she insisted on waiting til Friday."

Levy let go of Gajeel's hand and leaned on the table. "So tell me, why do you two hang out so much? The first away game Lucy had a whole bunch of friends come in, but now she either brings Wendy or no one at all."

Natsu gave her a grin. "It's for that reason. My sister and Lucy seem to be pretty good friends, even though one's a senior and the other's a freshman. Sometimes she comes over to pick up Wendy, and if I'm in the living room we usually chat for a while."

Levy started to get a little nosey. "Oh do you guys talk about a lot of stuff?"

Natsu scratched his head. "Eh sort of? I just ask her how Wendy's doing. I guess she wants to go with this Romeo kid to their little dance at the end of the month, but she's waiting for him to ask...I don't really know, I hate high schoolers."

Levy lit up at that reminder. "Yea Lucy said she's really excited about that! Rumor has it Jude's going out of town, and she's gonna throw her high school a big homecoming bash!

Gajeel spit out his tooth pick and howled. "HA! High school was so lame! I'm glad I'm done with it and on to better things."

Levy disagreed. "Oh I think Lucy really likes her's. I guess everyone is really friendly…anyway Natsu, she mentioned you might help her out with the party?"

Nasu held his hands up and rapidly shook his head. "Oh no no no I told her specifically I would not do that!"

Levy sat back. "No I mean, Lucy's never really been much of a drinker before, and she said you're gonna teach her a thing or two?"

Natsu immediately started laughing like Gajeel. "Yea I'm not sure what the hell she meant by that! Idk I'll probably just buy a few bottles and give her tiny samples…she had drinks at my place before and let's just say her night ended quickly."

Levy looked worried because she could obviously tell that Lucy admired Natsu for some reason. "Okay but just be careful, she's pretty delicate after all…"

Natsu nodded and then looked to a very sad looking Gray, who sat right beside him with an empty glass looking out the window.

"Yo man, did someone die or something?"

Gray turned back. "Oh sorry, just thinking…"

Natsu laughed some more. "Thinking? Dude we won, relax! Here let's go up to the bar and get some more drinks!" Natsu walked out of his seat as Gray rolled his eyes and followed.

Gajeel held up his glass and delivered a puppy dog face the entire time as neither teammate looked his way. Levy then giggled and snatched the glass out of his hand. "I think that means no more for Gajeel tonight."

Now, Gray and Natsu stood at the crowded bar and waited for their service. As Natsu held up his hand and asked for a couple more drinks, the bar tender smiled and quickly poured hem two free beers.

"This one's on the house, winners."

"Thanks!' Natsu smiled as he grabbed he drinks and handed one to Gray. "Here, bottoms up!"

Both took large gulps, but Gray cut his off sooner as a couple of very young female fans came up to the bar beside them.

"Hi, I just over heard the bar tender giving you guys free drinks...are you two players?"

Gray wanted to roll his eyes, but looked at the first one's awfully tight t-shirt with a Fairies logo on it. "If you guys are fans shouldn't you know this stuff?"

The second one then walked forward to greet his friend. "Oh you're Natsu Dragneel, that new point guard!"

Natsu delivered a quirky smile. "Haha yep! Just here enjoyin a beer!"

The first girl wasn't ready to give up on Gray. "Oh I'm sorry…I'm new to town and my friend brought me to see the game."

Gray sighed as they both sat on bar stools. "Nah, it's not your fault. I'm just kinda tired."

"Oh well I know this great place down the street that could help wake you up…" She reached out to grab his hand, and he would have grabbed it in another universe, but then his phone started to buzz.

"Agh…excuse me." Right away Gray opened it up with a face of anger, but that face changed once he realized who it was in the message.

 **"** **Hey it's Juvia! I asked your GM to tell you good job, but I was worried she never did…also Bora's back, yay! …can't wait to see you in your next home game. :)"**

Gray cracked a smile and took his beer as the girl next to him gave him a dirty look.

He then smiled and gave her an easy to read expression. "Oh sorry, I just got a text from a good friend. She was just telling me…"

The girl rolled her eyes and walked off to find her friend from before as Gray started to chuckle.

Gray raised an eyebrow as he also noticed Natsu was free of his burden. "Hey how come you two didn't…?"

"Oh!" Natsu laughed. "I have no idea? One minute we're talking, then I'm trying to text Lucy at the same time, then all of a sudden the chick slaps me and storms off."

"She slapped you? Man I never even heard it."

"I know!" Natsu said pushing him in the chest. "Thanks for nothing!" He then downed his glass with a second gulp and yelled back to the bar keep. "HEY! I NEED ANOTHER FREEBIE!"

"Moron…" Gray laughed and rolled his eyes as he went back to join Levy and Gajeel at their booth.

* * *

The next morning we find Wendy Marvell delighted for her early day of school. After enjoying one of her favorite classes, literature with Ms Milkovich, we now find the young freshman walking to her second period class, science.

As she entered the room, Wendy found Sherria giggling to the left of her desk as Romeo slept behind her. Sherria pointed back to the sleeping athlete as Wendy took her seat. "Can you believe him? Yesterday he was all ready for the quiz, and today he passes out as soon as he sits down!"

Wendy giggled at her observation. "Yea, he is pretty sleepy I guess…"

"Okay class!" Yelled the teacher with a stern expression. "I'll pass back the quizzes first thing so that you all can stay focused on the new material..." She quickly made a circuit around the room and hand delivered each paper upside down.

Quiz after quiz each student had a different reaction. Some smiled, some frowned, others scowled, and a few others had to squint their eyes just to read the teacher's awful hand writing.

Then the teacher stopped off at the sleeping Romeo's desk. "Mr Conbolt, I hope you decide to stay awake for today's lesson…"

Romeo raised his head slowly with a red mark on his forehead as his squinted eyes tried to focus in on the light.

The teacher then smiled and laid his quiz down. "Otherwise you won't be able to keep up your good work.

Romeo, and now Wendy both turned down to see his grade…A-.

"WHOA!" Romeo immediately woke up and looked right at Wendy. "I did it!"

He high fived the blue haired girl as she responded with a smile of her own. "Hey that's awesome! Congrats!"

Sherria smiled too. "Yea! Now you can just have Wendy take all your tests for you and get an A!"

Wendy rolled her eyes and smiled to her pink haired friend. "No, Sherria it wasn't like that. Romeo just studied with me is al. I never really tutored him…"

As the two girls began to giggle, Romeo's eyes widened at both his good grade and new friend. " _Hmm…maybe I should make it up to her?"_

After class Wendy left and quickly went to her locker, as she fiddled with the lock and finally got it opened, she pulled the door to a crack before a hand from behind grabbed the door and yanked it fully open.

Wendy jumped back in a startled reaction and bumped into Romeo. She then swiftly turned around to greet him. "OH SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE…!"

"Hey relax!" Romeo smiled. "It was my fault. I just wanted to help ya get your books so you wouldn't be late for class…I need to talk to you."

As the two freshman walked to Wendy's next class, Romeo smiled and kept his eyes forward. "So listen, you've been pretty nice to me with my science class issues."

Wendy nodded. "Well I'm just trying to be a good friend."

Romeo delivered a fresh smile back. "Yea that's the thing, you're a new girl, but you act like you've gone here since kindergarten…that's pretty cool if you ask me."

Wendy froze as a tiny tint of red crossed her face. "R-really? It's cool?"

Romeo laughed. "Yea…hey listen. There's that big homecoming dance at the end of the month. I was just wondering since you and I seem to hang out anyway, maybe you'd wanna go with me?"

Wendy stopped walking as her face turned a dark shade of red, the same color of her shirt. She then squeaked out a response.

"Um…this is my next class…"

Romeo did a double take and realized they were standing outside the door to Wendy's math class. He then held up his hands. "Oh hey I'm sorry! I won't keep you up any…"

"NO! Y-you're fine!" Wendy retorted, she then let out a tiny smile before walking in to her class. "And…yea I'd be glad to go with you to the dance!"

Romeo's day had now been made as his heart skipped several beats. "R-Really!? Okay cool! Um…have a good class?"

Wendy calmed down and quickly giggled. "Okay, you too!" She then went tin tightly clutching her text book to her chest as her face was still filed with blushing red.

* * *

After school, Lucy had decided to volunteer to take Wendy home yet again. Normally her and the other girls traded the job, but Lucy actually enjoyed being with Wendy so much, it almost became her full time responsibility. As the two enjoy the nice long ride in Lucy's very expensive white convertible, Wendy started gazing out the side.

Lucy noticed her beaming face and looked over with a grin. "I know that look…you saw Romeo today didn't you?"

Wendy laughed. "Well of course silly! We're in the same science class together!"

Lucy shook her head as she peaked through her sleek sunglasses. "I dunno, that look says you guys had a good day."

Wendy sighed. "Yea…he asked me to homecoming!"

"REALLY!? Lucy almost swerved off the road in excitement before regaining her composure. "Hehehe…sorry about that. But wow Wendy that's totally amazing!"

Wendy smiled with delight. "Thanks! I mean we still have a few weeks before the dance, but it was nice for him to ask this early! …Maybe that means we'll see each other more often now!"

Lucy gave out a grin of her own. "Yea, from the sounds of things I'd say that's a possibility."

Wendy then smiled again. "Oh hey! I heard you're up for Homecoming Queen Lucy! That's a really big deal!"

The blonde timidly rolled her eyes. "Yea, I meant to take my name off that stupid list. I never like those elections."

"Really?" Wendy pondered. "I looked back in the past yearbooks and it said you won a lot of the younger court titles too?"

"Ahahaha…that's not the point." Lucy modestly tried to hide her self-pride. "Let's just say I've grown a lot since I was a freshman."

Wendy nodded. "Yea I understand…but do you have any idea who _you_ wanna go with to the dance? I guess _you_ probably never have to ask yourself this since all those boys really want to go with you, but it never hurts to think it over."

Wendy's words made Lucy laugh. "Oh you're too sweet Wendy. I mean, I need to go to the dance since I'm so involved, but I just haven't thought about going with anyone…"

Wendy started to think about it. "Well what about the guys who are up for king! I know that _Dan_ guy really likes you! He'll play basketball with Romeo in the winter, except I think Dan's on varsity."

"Yea tell me about it…" Lucy tried to repress the memory of the most annoying red haired jock in the entire school. She then let out a sigh and leaned her arm on the rolled down window. "I don't know…I mean there is this really sweet guy I've been hanging out with lately."

Wendy sat up in excitement. "Oh really! I had no idea, does he go to our school?"

Lucy smiled. "No, he's a little older…"

Wendy started to ponder. "Oh I see, he's probably in college then, huh?"

Lucy chuckled. "Eh, let's just say he's at that age…we seem to talk a lot, but I'm not sure there's any romance between it. Still, he just…makes me think differently when I'm around him."

Wendy gave her older friend a confident smile. "Awe, well hey. If he doesn't go to our school than maybe it's okay for you to just ask him! I'm sure even if you guys go as friends he'll say yes! When do you see him next?"

Lucy began to blush and thought to the end of her week. "Oh, I plan on going to his place this Friday…"

Wendy started to get giddy in her seat. "Oh ask him then! This is so exciting! You can take me and Romeo to the dance as a double date!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh I see! You just want me to grab a date for my car, huh?"

Wendy chuckled. " _Nah_ , I just like seeing my friends happy is all."

The adorable blue haired girl to Lucy's right almost made the blonde senior cry a single tear of happiness. "Wendy you are too sweet…okay I'll see what I can do this weekend."

* * *

 **Okay I'm gonna level with you...Wendy's story was originally _NOT_ supposed to blossom the way it did. She was basically just supposed to be a supporting character for Natsu, and maybe a little scene here and their with Romeo. Now though...I feel like I can use her and Romeo to sort of set the mood for all the actually couples later one, but yet still preserve her as a glorified story arc in her own right. Writing is fun!**

 **Plus now the couples are starting to fall into place, except...NaLu and Gruvia, my flag ship couples...oh let me write those ships to set sail for their harbors eventually! Gray still seems interested in Juvia's life, and Lucy now has an interesting plan for Natsu and Homecoming...judging by Wendy's day I _think_ you all know what it is...**

 **Anyway pause on massive romance stuff tomorrow, and we'll take it back to a basketball chapter! (Hey, I gotta balance this stuff out, otherwise it's all fluff.) In any case keep those comments coming! Good, bad, silly, anything! ...but I'm not very good with foreign languages, so hopefully none of those...**


	19. 19 - Saber City Brawl

**Author's Note: Okay...here it is? Is it just me or was the website down this morning? I had full internet to all other websites on all my devices except for Fanfic...weird.**

 **Anyway here's some bball! Oh also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen - Saber City Brawl

* * *

It was getting late in the evening. The sun was setting, and the bus had just pulled into the parking lot of the grand arena at the heart of Saber City, home of the mighty Tigers. Here, we find ourselves residing in the back most seats for the trip, and as we sit in wait, Laxus Dreyar keeps a large set of black head phones equipped to his ears as the team bus rolls into their next destination.

Right way, as Laxus tried rolling back in his slumber, his younger teammate Natsu Dragneel threw an empty bottle of water at his sleeping face.

"OY! LET'S WAKE UP, CAPTAIN! WE GOT A GAME TO WIN, HERE!"

Laxus forcefully pried open one eye to try and glare at his annoying teammate in revolt. "Natsu…shut up, or die."

"Ah you shut up, Laxus! We got a game to play!" The fiery point guard howled and ran up ahead of the bus. Right away he laid his eye on the impressive concrete cathedral that was the Saber City Coliseum.

"Whoa" The tiny little rookie eyed with envy. "This place looks awesome!"

His stern head coach Makarov Dreyar rolled his eyes. "Yes…just make sure it doesn't distract you for tonight's game."

As the Magnolia players arrived into their new destination, each member of the team rounded up their luggage and towed it off the bus towards the large away team locker room. Right away, as each member prepared themselves for the game, they all received special messages from admiring fans.

"Whoa!" Elfman yelled out as a good luck note appeared on his phone, curtesy of his elder cheerleading friend Evergreen. "Guys I think we really need to win tonight!"

"Haha, why!?" Bickslow howled. "So you and Ever can both go to bed without anything to worry about!?"

Laxus finished with his wardrobe and grinned. "The big man isn't wrong…we're only a couple of wins from taking the league lead entirely." Seeing how Laxus was so used to playing on a bad team, the thought of actually competing in the league took him away on a magic carpet ride.

However, his teammates were not ready to remove him from his dream. "OH YEA! I FEEL A BIG WIN ALREADY!" Natsu howled as he shut off his phone. "After all, Lucy said her dad is lookin' for a big win tonight!"

Gray let out a smirk. "Really? Are ya sure her dad is the only one looking for a win?"

Natsu scratched his chin and remembered the very last message sent by his blonde friend.

 ** _"_** ** _Dad and I will be watching all night…please win this one! haha."_**

Natsu let out a tiny chuckle in response. "Hey, does it really matter? We have to win no matter what!"

Gray paused as he collected his own thoughts, which included the earlier message from a distant friend of his own.

 ** _"_** ** _Well good luck, Gray! …Bora left again for business, but I'm sure you'll cheer me up with a win!"_**

"Ha…" Gray smiled in amusement. "Maybe we _do_ need to focus on winning this one?"

"Okay you brats." Makarov chimed off as the game was ready to begin. "Time to show these little pussy cats who wants to win the league!"

* * *

The game was ready to start. Fields of white and blue hovered over the stands for the away team's support. Both teams were ready, and the two highly paid refs were too. Laxus met the opposing center and the familiar Mest at center court. Right away, the Saber City rep started chuckling, which made Laxus comment on his amusement.

"Oh man…something on your mind big guy?" Laxus rolled his eyes and glared at his competitor across the center circle.

Orga, the tall Saber City center, gave him nothing but a cocky smile. "Nah, I'm just trying to find out why you lousy Fairies actually showed up this year. Last season you losers never showed up cause you were too scared!"

Laxus face-palmed. "We weren't even scheduled to play each other…dumbass."

Mest tried to hold his smile in as he blew his whistle and tossed the game ball up for tip. Right away, Laxus came down with the rock and passed it off to his field commander.

"Okay Natsu, let's take it slow." He warned his point guard.

Natsu cackled. "AHAHA! Ah come on man, why can't you just let me have some fun!" As the game was set he and the other nine players started running around in anticipation for Natsu's next play. Right off the bat, the noisy point guard ran into a familiar, unwanted face of an old enemy.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Super Fairy?" Sting laughed as he guarded Natsu's advancement. "I saw you guys are first in the east. That's pretty cute to trick your fans into thinking you'll actually do good this year."

"Agh just shut up!" Natsu snapped as he dribbled the ball in between hands. His eyes never left Sting's as he tried to read every move the Saber City Point Guard was going to make.

Then as he faked one way, the blonde guard slapped thin air as Natsu jerked the ball in the opposite direction. Howling with laughter as he passed his rival, Natsu completely ignored a wide open Gray and Gajeel as he laid up a quick shot and took the early lead.

"Hey man, I showed up to play? I hope you did too." Natsu smiled and shrugged as he ran by Sting, who was now scowling back at the pink haired fool on the opposing team.

Sting then looked to Rogue as the black haired forward in bounded the ball. "Keep Gray off me…I'm going straight in." He swiftly took the ball down court and watched as his entire field of play sat down on the other end of the court.

Then, once he emerged on the other end, Natsu and Gray rushed him for a turn over. Without hesitation however, Rogue moved through and set Sting a screen on the left side to open up a new lane, and as he simply ignored Natsu, the cocky blonde guard ran right through the slow Gajeel and Laxus and laid it in for his own set of 2 points to tie.

Natsu let out a yell and Gray rolled his eyes to field the ball into play. As soon as Natsu took the pass, Gray yelled back.

"Calm down man, this is a long game. Heck we're not even 3 minutes in yet!" Gray tried to give Natsu some support, and apparently it worked.

"Hehe, I hear ya." Natsu dribbled down the court and eyed his options. As Sting tried to play a bit more conservatively on defense this time, Natsu found an opening and swiftly passed it down to Laxus.

Turning all the eyes to his direction, the tall center swung around Orga and faked a jump up to the rim, which once again caught the Fairies off guard.

Passing it to the outside arc, Jellal sat in the low corner of the court while he received his pass, and as soon as the ball touched his palms, he threw up a silky smooth 3 point shot to move the Fairy lead to 3.

"Hehe! I knew this was gonna be easy!" Natsu smiled and high-fived Jellal on their run down the court, which did nothing but infuriate Sting and the other members of Saber City.

"AGH!" Sting yelled out. "JUST…someone get open, will ya!?"

* * *

After a seemingly long half of play, the Fairies were sitting in a semi-comfortable 6 point lead, while the Tigers appeared to be very angry on their walk out.

Their tall and very muscular coach, Giemma Orlando, led the train as he never turned around. "If you dumb asses let their lead go up any more, I'd suggest you start looking for another place to play."

Sting and the others ignored their nasty coach as he shook his head in frustration. "Agh, I can't believe I'm letting him get in my head! Why is he so good!?"

Rogue rolled his eyes. "Sting, he's always been your equal, if not better. You have to let go of that and use your team." He looked just as furious at Sting's selfish attitude. So far they had a pretty good thing going in Saber City with great team chemistry and several wins. However, anytime Sting heard the name "Natsu Dragneel" his blood began to boil and his patience snapped.

In any case, Rogue wasn't about to put up with Sting's childish behavior any more, but that didn't stop other players from trying to help.

"Ah Sting, Rogue maybe right. You should utilize your teammates…but not just their skills on the court."

Sting raised an eyebrow. "Rufus? Man you've been quiet all night. What are you yappin about?"

The very skilled shooting guard for Saber City smiled and looked to Sting. "You're not mad at Natsu for being so good, you're mad that he's getting in your head…so why don't you _return_ the favor?"

"Huh? What like play a mind game with him?"

Rufus grinned and quickly took the court. "Perhaps. If my memory serves me correctly, I do know the Magnolia Point Guard is very partial to his teammates and organization. Why not play to that?"

Sting let out a grin of his own as the fired up Fairies also took the court. _"Fine by me…now let's find out what makes the little loser tick."_

After a quick turnaround in their first possession of the half, Rufus made a three and turned the ball to the ref on the end line.

Then, as Natsu brought down the ball, he smiled and looked to Sting. "Hey, looks like you guys got a game plan together!"

Sting laughed. "I guess so…that and your team's defense is kind of lousy."

Natsu went to retort but Sting spoke again. "Man, do Laxus and Gajeel always fight, or are they just children at heart? I know if I plaid with idiots like them I'd be angry all night!"

Natsu started to get uncomfortable. "Look, keep your eyes on me man, after all I'm gonna be the one to…"

"Wait, isn't Laxus the one dating that smokin' hot cheerleader on your team? Man no wonder you losers were so excited to get drafted in Magnolia. They _do_ have some nice meat in the deli."

"What are you tryin ta say…?" Natsu was now starting to tense up as his teammates were yelling from their positions on court.

"NATSU THE _TIME_!?"

He obeyed and passed it off to Gray, who tried going one way but found his path blocked by Rogue. Now out of options, the Small Forward reluctantly passed it right back to Natsu.

The pink haired point guard tried to wash out Sting's chatter from his brain, but the opposing defender carried on. "Actually that new coach you guys have is pretty easy on the eyes too. I saw she's dating Jellal. Man is she an idiot or what?! That dude's had like 10 girls in the last 2 years alone! In fact he actually dated our coach's daught…"

"LOOK MAN…just shut up."

Sting cracked a smile. "Now that I think about it...I remember seeing _you_ on some crappy sports blog chatting with this blonde bombshell reporter. Her website sucked, but hey…she was looking pretty good herself."

Sting knew who the girl was, and knew based on her page that the daughter of Magnolia's owner admired Natsu. Although he had no idea where Natsu stood in the relationship, he had a good idea on where to push the buttons.

And to his luck, he got a reaction.

"LOOK I DON'T HAVE THE PATIENCE TO DEAL WITH YOUR CRAP ANY…!" Natsu would have carried on, but Sting quickly swiped the ball from his hand and took it down to the other end of the court.

After securing a quick layup and 2 more points Sting waved to the fans, and the opposing Fairies mad their move. Before passing it in, however, Laxus grabbed Natsu by the collar of his jersey.

"Look…just get down the court and pass the damn ball off to Gray."

Natsu never responded and let Laxus jog down the court by himself. Immediately Gray passed it in to Natsu, and as the hot headed point guard made his strike, so did Sting.

"Oh so wait you know that girl!? Ha!" Sting laughed once again. "Actually I heard my teammates talking about her before we started playing. I guess she dated some basketball player from Magnolia U a couple of years ago? This kid was supposed to be the next FBA super star, they even called him the next _Yuri Dreyar_ …then that owner of yours never drafted him."

Natsu's eyes started to twitch as he forced himself to pass it off to Gray. Normally Sting would move to guard a new zone, but this time he decided to finish his story.

"Yea I guess something happened with him and that daughter. I don't know what it was, but that Heartfilia guy got all the owners to follow suit. Sad to say really…that Lucy chick ruined that poor guy's career by not letting him get drafted. Which begs the question…what the hell did he _do_?"

Natsu rolled his eyes and tried to run around and avoid the story. "Man quit lying. You're just trying to get in my head by…"

"Ya know I'll be honest, I'm not sure what he did…" Sting continued. "But hey, I bet he enjoyed himself before her dad found out if you catch my…"

 _"_ _AGH!"_

Natsu lashed out and slammed Sting into his team's bench. Right away Jet and Droy shoved the fallen Tiger off their laps and looked to Natsu.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DEAL MAN!?" Jet roared as Natsu heard a whistle blow, followed by the arrival of Mest and Lahar.

The latter referee continued to blow his whistle and gestured to Natsu by making a T with his hands. He then released his whistle form his lips and pointed to the tunnel. "Automatic ejection for #00!"

"WHAT!?" Natsu yelled out with anger while his Fairy teammates tried to argue as well. Laxus got right into Mest's face and bent down to match his height.

"Okay it's clearly obvious that the Saber punk was egging him on…let's just have Natsu cool down a bit and sit on the…"

"No argument needed Laxus. It was totally flagrant, and it was out of the zone of play."

"…" Laxus ignored Mest and looked right at Natsu, and without saying a word he turned back to the court.

As the Fairies yelled out their protest, Makarov lashed out to his team. "WOULD YOU ALL SHUT THE HELL UP!? …Freed you're in now, since our little dumb ass can't keep his hands to himself."

Natsu rolled his eyes and continued to growl, and as the Saber City fans booed and clapped at his exit, Sting smiled with pride.

 _"Hehe. Now I'll just do that next time we play, and poof. The Fairies are completely shut down."_

As the second have rolled to a close, things didn't look good for the Fairies. The home town Tigers secured a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter and left the night as winners, while the lamenting Fairies of Magnolia were stuck with another ridiculous loss.

Gray shook hands with Rogue in a mature manor right as the game came to an end. "Hey good game man…"

Rogue nodded. "Yes, it was good to see you again…send Natsu my regards."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Why, so you and Sting can get back in his head?" The stubborn Fairy then turned and left for the locker room as Rogue sighed and joined his fellow Tigers.

Sting was now strutting around the court like a hard man trying to find more Fairies to gloat for, but as he was running out, Gajeel and Laxus stopped him in place.

"Well, sorry about the loss, boys!" Sting tried to brag to the much taller opposing players. "But hey, better teams win right?"

Laxus kept his mouth shut while his eyes pierced through Sting's cocky attitude. As the smug point guard was starting to read the message he went to leave, but not before Gajeel spoke next.

"I'm not sure what the hell you did to piss off Salamander, but let me tell ya something…next time it happens, you're gonna be wishin you never got drafted to the big leagues."

He then moved to let the now timid Sting walk by in confusion. After ending the conversation. Gajeel rolled his eyes and looked at Laxus.

"Would you just stop it already? Man you look like a grandma!" He then waved his hand and left for the locker room, refusing to shake any opposing player's hands.

Laxus sighed and shook his head. _"God damn it Natsu…I thought we went over this."_

Now, as most of the players were leaving the court, the only mature Fairy was finishing his handshakes with the opposing Saber City victors, yet as he turned to leave, a new face emerged from the home team tunnel.

"That was a good game, _Jellal."_

The blue haired shooter felt his spine tingle as that smooth feminine voice washed over his ears. He then turned with a confused expression and looked to see who it was.

"O-oh…hello _Minerva_."

The gorgeous daughter of the Saber City coach gave Jellal a coy grin. "Now now, you look like you haven't seen me in ages…I mean it was only last summer the last time you and I…"

"I don't want to talk about it." He snapped. "And I don't really want to see you right now, either."

Minerva laughed. "Oh please. I read where you and that little assistant coach are starting to get together…you know who she is right?I'm sure you do...after all she's usually got quite the temper when dealing with boys like you."

Jellal swallowed a lump in his throat and never turned around to give her further satisfaction. He never exactly told Erza about his past relationships, so he had to lie. "Yes…well we understand each other rather well. Now if you'll excuse me."

"Oh fine Jellal, fine. I'll let you go…" Minerva watched the uncomfortable man walk away as she smiled with pride.

 _"_ _Well, he obviously hasn't told her yet…this will be very fun for me after all."_

* * *

 **Okay...that was depressing. Natsu you can't let him do that! Argh, now Fairy Tail is further away from taking to top! And what's with all the angst!? I hope they all relieve themselves tomorrow night back in Magnolia...**


	20. 20 - Swallow Your Pride

**Author's Note: Okay we've made it to 20! Time to quit!**

 **No not really lol...wouldn't that be terrible!? Here's the new chapter! Brace yourselves...**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail_.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty - Swallow Your Pride

* * *

Although it was now Friday, no one on the Magnolia Fairies team really felt like going out and having a big night celebration. As a result, most of the organization decided on staying in to enjoy their homes rather than heading outside to enjoy the night life on the town.

However, two veteran Fairies did manage to make it out to the bars, and as we find a rowdy night unfolding for the crowd at the Fairy Tail Tavern, head coach Makarov Dreyar enjoys a nice tall beer with his disheartened grandson, Laxus, at the main bar.

"Well, that was quite the game. I haven't seen a player get ejected like that since I played back in my day!" Makarov was trying to laugh off the embarrassing outcome from the night before, but the only reaction he got from his drinking partner was a halfhearted laugh and a silent breath.

"Mggh…" Makarov groaned. "You've got to ignore it, boy. You children are still in first place atop the east."

"Not anymore…" The Fairy Captain replied. "We're down to number 2 since Phantom owns our tie breaker."

"Oh Laxus we're still in September. My god the playoffs don't even become an issue until February! So Natsu let his mind slip. From what I heard he was actually defending his friends, and our organization."

"Great. That makes me feel so much better, Gramps." Laxus sarcastically sounded off as he took a large gulp from his glass.

Makarov grinned. "Actually, one of the names I heard Natsu defend was your own…Sting was calling out your relationship with Mirajane, and Natsu reacted as if he were your brother."

"Ah…" Laxus started off. "Okay? So why the hell didn't you stop him if you could hear it?"

Makarov laughed. "Because I retired as a player many years ago…Natsu is learning how to play the real game of basketball. He's used to playing in a bigger, collegiate league with over a hundred teams. Here, there are only 32, and he'll get to know each personality as he meets them individually."

Laxus sighed, remembering how he greeted all the centers in each game so far. He really did know them all by a first name basis.

Makarov continued. "Besides, this wasn't a normal fight. Natsu knew Sting back in college, and those two boys were bound to start a riot as soon as they met on the professional court…we can only hope that it leans in our favor when the Tigers come here to play later on."

Laxus laughed. "Yea? Well we don't see them til February. They're the last game on the schedule."

Makarov waved to the bar tender. "Well, let's hope they don't keep us from the playoffs."

* * *

Now we find Levy McGarden finishing up some paper work comfortably inside her stadium office. She had a stressful morning dealing with the press on the Fairies' loss, and now she was trying to catch up on some notes.

"Okay, so next week we have Quattro coming here, so we can just have them…"

 _*SLAM!*_

Levy jumped as her large door swung open to reveal Gajeel wearing a black leather jacket and jeans. He held a scowl on his face and looked ready to fight.

"Okay, I'm here. Let's go." He snapped to Levy.

"Hold on!" Levy yelled back. "Why haven't you texted me back!? I've been trying to ask you about what happened last night!"

Gajeel turned and expected her to quickly follow. "I was saving that for dinner. Now let's go before I start getting any hungrier."

 _~Several moments later after they found a nice place to eat_

"Hold on, Sting was trash talking Natsu!? WOW!" Levy was trying to let Gajeel start on some appetizers, but couldn't hold in her surprised expression. "I mean I knew he was a little short tempered, but for him to just shove Sting out like that?"

Gajeel finished off his mini meal. "Yep, then the idiot gets himself ejected. Sting was raggin on him about some of the guys on the team. I think Laxus and Jellal came up first, then he started talking about that Lucy chick."

"Oooohhh…" Levy now got a better grasp on the situation. "I get it now…that's kind of adorable actually."

"Agh what are you yappin about?" Gajeel asked while trying to take a drink form his beer.

Levy blushed and laughed. "Ahaha…never mind. Anyway you said Laxus and Jellal came up too?"

Gajeel continued. "Yea, I guess Sting was yammerin' on about their relationships with Mira and Erza, and then Natsu started getting defensive. Kida ridiculous if ya ask me."

"Oh…" Levy's blush never went away. "S-so did _your_ name ever come up?"

Gajeel did a double take. "Hell no! God if those two high school wannabees brought my name up in that cat fight I woulda slammed them both into the bleachers myself!"

Levy laughed. "I get ya…but hey, let's say Sting started saying something bad about Makarov, or I dunno… _me_?"

Gajeel stopped drinking and looked back her way. "Shrimp, you don't wanna know the answer to that question…after all I don't think Sting is really big enough to handle something like that."

"Hehehe, Oh Gajeel…" She didn't like the violent message he was trying to get across, but the lone thought of his defensive attitude excited her heart for just a moment. "Well, I hope everyone else is coping with the loss better than Natsu did."

* * *

Levy was right on a few levels. As the two Fairies enjoyed their spontaneous meal out on the town, two others find themselves dining in tonight instead.

"Jellal, you've been quiet all night."

Jellal looked up to see Erza's large brown eyes looking worriedly back at him. Sighing, he took a sip of wine. "I-I'm sorry…I ran in to an old friend of yours last night. Minerva?"

Erza leaned back. "Oh? I thought I saw her. I guess it only makes sense seeing how her dad is the team coach. Did she come up to you after the game?"

Now nearly silent with fear, Jellal somehow pressed on. "Yes, but only to tell the others and I good game. I can't tell, but she seems like an unreasonable person to be around."

"Oh you have no idea…" Erza admitted. "I almost transferred schools because of her."

"Now that would have been a shame." Jellal frowned. "You spent 4 years building a strong team with four of your best friends. Seeing her come through and ripping you all apart would have been a sad sight to behold."

Erza sighed. "I suppose you're right…but then again I ended up doing just that when we all agreed to play in the women's league.

Seeing her nearly broken down with sadness, Jellal stood up and grabbed their empty plates. Smiling, he then leaned down to kiss her on her head. "You're so pretty when you think."

"Well thank you…you're so kind to help clean up." Erza blushed as he left for the sink and grabbed their empty glasses.

As Jellal started to run water over the plates, Erza came up behind him and put her arms around his waist. "So let's just forget about Minerva, and Saber City, and all our other problems. After all I didn't just invite you here to eat dinner and share a couple of sad stories."

Jellal put the clean dishes down and turned to face her. "Is that so? Well how about you show me the rest of the apartment then?"

Erza raised her hands to drape them around his shoulders. "Gladly. In fact I know _just_ the room we can stop off to next."

* * *

Now, as those two love birds were enjoying a romantic evening together, one struggling girlfriend was trying to figure out a plan for a meal of her own.

"Oh I wish Bora didn't have to leave so unexpectedly again…I was so excited to try out my new recipe for him." She had just received an excellent grade on her last exam, and her proposed recipe for a roasted chicken dish was named the best in the class.

Juvia was now becoming very confident in her cooking abilities, but she was still sad that her one man audience always abandoned her. Yet, as she began to move around her oven dishes, a random doorbell started ringing uncontrollably.

"U-um…is Bora supposed to be home already?" Timidly walking around to the door, Juvia peeked through the one way hole to see who her mysterious visitor actually was.

 _"_ _WWWHHHAAATTT!?_ W-what is _HE_ doing here!?" Now shaking like a leaf, Juvia reached over to open the door, and low and behold Gray Fullbuster was standing there sending a random text while also holding a six pack of beers.

"Hey! Glad you actually came to the door. I was worried you wouldn't open it."

"O-oh yea, well you know…peep hole." She awkwardly gestured to the tiny gold lens on the door before straightening up.

That made Gray laugh as Juvia carried on. "So! Um…what brings you here?"

Gray smiled and walked right past her. "Well I'd like to say it's whatever you've got cooking in here. Man that smells yummy!" He laughed as he kicked off his shoes.

"Umm, y-yes I was just finishing making dinner…but why are you here, again?"

"Oh sorry! I kinda just rushed in here and started takin over!" Gray laughed. "I remembered you said Bora was out again, so I just used it as a hint to hang out. After all I had a really good time last weekend!"

"You did?" A tiny flare of confusing red crossed her face as a small smile arched from her mouth.

"Yea, I hope you don't mind that I brought my own drinks though…I need to wash out last night's awful win…" To be honest that was the reason Gray came over. Although he was planning on performing a little more research into Bora's suspicious attitude, he only decided on that after he realized none of his teammates were open to hang out.

"None of the other guys were free, and after last night's crummy loss you can't really blame me for not wanting to be alone."

"Yes… _alone_ …so you came over here. Well why not!?" Juvia quit questioning herself and decided to enjoy his company. "So I'm really sorry about last night's loss."

Gray frowned and began to think about his teammates. "Yea, it was pretty rough, but we're all handling it differently. I'm just hoping Natsu's doing okay."

* * *

Without forming any more curious thoughts of our own, we finally arrive to Natsu's downtown apartment, where he and Lucy were sharing several novice cocktails as they discussed the game from the night before.

"Okay jerk! Now you have to tell me about your foul!" Lucy was trying to act more polite early on, but after a few accidentally over poured drinks by her own rookie hand she felt a more demanding side coming out in curiosity from Natsu's foul the night before.

Her drinking partner on the other hand was handling his own drinks pretty well. "Oh, yea…Sting was just saying some nasty things about Laxus and Jellal. He went to trash talk the others but that's when I socked him into the bench."

"Oh you were just defending your teammates? Well that was stupid." She rolled her eyes and tried making another drink of her own.

"Hehehe, yea… _stupid_." He smiled and took a new sip of his drink.

Then, Lucy smiled back. "But hey, it's also kind of sweet that you'd stand up for them like that. I'm sure they think so, anyway."

"Hmm, I guess so." Natsu had no intention on telling her the truth, and he definitely had no business asking about that guy Sting mentioned from the night before…but either way he kept asking himself the same question. Why _did_ he feel the need to get so defensive for Lucy?

Was it because her father was his boss and symbol of the team? Or was it because she had been so helpful with Wendy, so as a result he felt like returning the favor? In all honesty, Lucy was the first person he met after getting drafted, so maybe he felt some unknown relationship blooming deep inside.

Either way, he simply decided to smile and wave it by. "So hey! Tell me about your little dance party or whatever."

"Haha, it's not really a dance party, Natsu." Lucy explained. "Well…it kind of is. It's just a party I planned on throwing after the homecoming dance. My dad will be out on some business trip, and everyone at school has been down my back about wanting me to throw a party."

Natsu shook his head. "I dunno. Peer pressure is a terrible thing."

Lucy giggled. "Actually, I'm glad they asked! I've always wanted to host a party. Ooooo I actually can't wait!" She then held up her glass and began to take another drink, and Natsu simply laughed and followed suit. As they both finished, Lucy carried on. "So anyway that's why _you're_ here. You're gonna help me look cool by teaching me about making drinks!"

Natsu scratched his head. "Yea, I was gonna see if you wanted to go to a bar or something…I mean I'm not even a cocktail kinda guy. I can try callin' Cana for ya or something...?"

Lucy had other reasons for inviting herself over, but she stuttered and tried to fake an explanation. "O-oh, well I mean I'm not expecting to be some pro by the time we're finished. I just wanted a few tips on how to make quick party drinks."

"Oh that I can help ya with!" Natsu smiled and grabbed several bottles at once. "Okay so let's try some of _this_ first…"

Lucy began to play with her hair as the mad, alcoholic scientist began his work. "So yea…the dance will probably be lame. That's why I was planning on having the party. Ya know to cheer everyone up?"

"Yea…I hear ya…" Natsu didn't want to ignore her but he was pretty busy making art come to life.

Lucy's mind began to run on auto pilot in order to force her next idea out. "A-and besides, sometimes those dances are _really_ over done anyway. People always drive in with ridiculous cars and fancy dresses…"

"Oh, kinda like you!" Natsu idiotically tried to relate the cars and dresses to Lucy's very expensive style of living.

"No… _not_ like me." She looked angry, but swallowed her pride. _"Oh man…do I really want to ask *him* of all people…?"_

Natsu shrugged as he carried on. "I don't see what the big deal is? I kinda like your outfits! And that car you have is really awesome!"

"Oh, thanks?" Lucy started to show some unwanted blushes as she tried to reform the conversation. "Anyway, back to my complaining…Meldy, and Sherry, and Yukino just do this every year. They all get hyped for the dances, then they try to find the perfect dates for everyone, and I end up with some ass who doesn't even know my name. It's just a pain."

Natsu laughed as he started to shake the metal cocktail shaker. "Oh I totally get ya! I'd rather go with someone I knew really well! Or at least someone who was nice enough to enjoy the night with."

"Hehe, yea I was thinking the same thing…"

Natsu then popped open the can and looked inside. "Um, by the way I have no idea what I'm making here…"

"Haha, it's fine Natsu. I like surprises!" She then leaned forward. "But anyway, this all reminded me of something I wanted to ask you…"

"Oh?" Natsu looked up. "Well let's hear it! Unless it's about Sting…then I don't wanna here it."

"Haha No! Just shut up…" Lucy tried to get rid of the smile she formed as a result of his clumsy sense of humor. "…I was doing some thinking about the dance, and since I've been hanging out with your sister lately I had a good idea."

"Oh cool!" He sounded excited. "What's the plan?!"

"Erm…okay." Lucy was starting to regret her decision to come over. _"_ _NO! Just shut up and ask him Lucy! You CAN'T chicken out now!"_ She tried to quell her internal arguments before she let out a long sigh.

"Um…" Her face was fully shaded red. "I was thinking…maybe you would want to go _with_ me?"

The room fell silent. _Awkwardly_ silent.

Natsu blinked before the words registered in his mind. "Oh…OH!... _Oooh_ …you mean like you want me to go as a _guest_?"

Lucy didn't want to repeat herself. "YES! …Um I mean, yea. And maybe you could go with _me_?"

Natsu tried to focus in on her request, and then it hit him. The old memories of his past; asking girls out to Homecoming and Prom.

"Oooooooooooh…"

That was a lie. Natsu skipped _every dance_ in his high school career.

"Yea…listen I really like helpin' you out with _this_ stuff, but…aren't I a little too old to go to homecoming dances?"

 _"_ _B-but, you're only a year older than I am?!"_ Lucy yelled inside her mind. If she had any courage, she probably would have yelled out that very same argument.

Instead, the sad blonde folded. "Oh…yea. No I understand…"

She turned away and let him finish the drinks as her arms folded underneath her chest. Natsu smiled and slid two empty glasses over to their view. "Besides, Wendy said you're up for homecoming queen! I bet tons of guys will fall over for ya! You just gotta make sure and get to 'em early."

"Mmm…" Lucy barely sounded audible in her frustrated response.

Natsu began to pour his strange new concoction as he set down the shaker. "Okay! I call it the _Fairy Tail Cocktail!_ Or wait, the _Fairy "Cock" Tail?_ Maybe just the _Fairy Tail_? …I dunno just drink!"

Natsu held his glass high, but Lucy's hands remained on her stomach.

"Eh, actually that last one is sort of hitting my stomach pretty hard…Now that I think about it, I'm getting kind of sleepy too…"

They both sat in silence as Natsu now looked very sad. "Okay…here let me get some blankets for ya. Or hey we have that third bedroom for ya now!" He jumped up and walked over to the couch to grab the same extra blankets from before.

Lucy gestured to stand up. "No. Actually, I can just go home…I'm not really that drunk anyway."

Natsu shook his head and grabbed her keys. "No way. Here go on into the bathroom while I clean up the room for ya. I think its even got a bigger bed than mine!"

Regretting ever coming over, Lucy grabbed her purse and slowly turned to watch Natsu wonder off down the hallway. She then slid off her stool and marched her long way down to the main bathroom.

As soon as the door shut behind her and the lights turned on, Lucy pulled out her tooth brush and walked over to the counter.

Sadly however, before her hand reached the sink, her eyes found themselves staring right back at her in the mirror.

"Why did I even think that was a good idea…?" She now had a tiny tear form under each eye, and as she did her best to swallow her pride, the sorry high school teenager gathered her thoughts for the hard night's sleep to come.

* * *

 **Okay...recap:**

 **1.) Makarov and Laxus had a nice moment. I felt like I was pushing Makarov out of the story with all the romance, but he's supposed to be a pretty important character.**

 **2.) Levy and Gajeel are opening up to each other! SO exciting! I'm glad some people are enjoying their night!**

 **3.) Uh-oh Jellal and Erza are getting steamy again...TBH this story will never be a lemon, and it will never show anything graphic or racy. However...if any couple flirts with that boundary line it will be Jerza. (Also WTF JELLAL!? _LYING_ TO ERZA?! #Shame.)**

 **4.) Holy sh*t...GRAY INVITED HIMSELF OVER TO JUVIA'S! OH maybe he and Juvia are starting to connect! Well the couples are on a good roll so far! Let's see what's happening on our last stop over at...**

 **5.) Oh...excuse me I need to grab a tissue... ... Okay so I'm gonna level with all you readers. I'm a dude (and count yourselves lucky because I never tell my audiences that), so a lot of these angsty high school scenes are really hard for me to write. I try my best in the end (but damn it Natsu if I could kill _ONE_ man for being stupid...!) Swallow your pride Lucy...I'm sure you'll find a way to enjoy the dance.**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed! I'm going to go take a break from the website for a few weeks...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Wow. Again, wouldn't that just be a dick move on my part if I actually did that!? New chapter ASAP! Keep the reviews coming people! I love this audience, and I love to hear your thoughts! (FYI the Gruvia fan base has really let their voices be heard, so maybe I'll give them a treat in the next opener? ...hehe.)**


	21. 21 - Waking up to a Odd Situation

**Author's Note: Okay...yes it is 5:00pm where I am...yes I normally don't update this late...I returned to my college town last night after a week off from spring break, and I got into some college things.**

 **Either way I really like you guys as an audience, so I didn't feel like letting you down! Here's a late update! Also, it's going to focus in on only _ONE_ ship...enjoy!**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail_.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty One - Waking up to a Odd Situation

* * *

Gray awoke with a heavy head and blurry vison as a series of new smells entered his tired nose.

 _"_ _Ugh…what did I do last night?"_ He wearily asked himself as he threw off the covers and began walking to the bathroom.

 _"_ _Huh?!"_ He thought as he scratched his head. _"Why am I naked…?"_

Gray slowly realized his cloths were completely removed before looking around. _"Oh yea…I started sleeping like that now…probably not the best habit to get myself into."_

He smiled and began walking towards the door leading out to the hallway, and then realized his bed room had its own bathroom to the left.

 _"_ _Huh? I never had a bathroom put into my bedroom…?"_ He began to ponder the bizarre layout of the room before his eyes found themselves looking down at a framed picture on a dresser.

Then, the idiot noticed the picture was of _Bora and Juvia._

"Wha…?" His eye began to twitch as it was all starting to hit him, and has his hungover brain was slowly catching up, the fool turned back to the large king sized bed and realized he was not alone in the room. "This isn't my apartment…?"

Lying down fast asleep was a seemingly peaceful, and completely bare Juvia hidden underneath a thin white sheet, and that sight alone nearly made Gray jump off of the surface of the earth.

 _"WHAT THE HELL DID WE DO LAST NIGHT!?"_ Gray began to panic as he noticed more pictures of Bora and Juvia staring back at him. He then gathered his breath and picked up his loose pair of boxers off the ground and slid them back on.

"Okay okay hold up….why the hell did I think it would be a good idea to sleep with her!?" He tried to ask himself until Juvia began to turn in her sleep.

Gray looked over and noticed the very thin white sheet outlined her unclothed body very well, and as he looked to her messy head of gorgeous blue hair tangled up on her pillow, he began remembering the night before.

"Oh right…she looks like _that."_ He started to chuckle until he remembered this wasn't his apartment. "But damn Gray…she's not even single!"

Either way, that didn't stop the two close friends from enjoying a night in together. As Gray tried to think his way through the moment, Juvia twitched and raised her head off her pillow.

"Ahhh!" She stretched out her arms and leaned up to look around, and as she did the blue haired beauty was completely taken off guard by a very athletic Gray Fullbuster wearing nothing but boxers sitting at the foot of her bed.

"Eh!? Why are you…!?" She tried to ask him a question, but realized the sheet covering her body was now only covering her lower half, leaving her ample chest wide open for Gray to see.

The FBA player's eyes started to twitch as his head began to hurt, and right away Juvia screamed in embarrassment and grabbed all the blankets she could find.

"AGH! WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU DO TO ME!?"

"ME!?" Gray yelled back. " _YOU'RE_ THE ONE WHO STARTED THE TEXT CONVERSATION LAST NIGHT!"

Juvia rapidly shook her head and held the sheets tightly around her bosom. "NO NO NO! _YOU_ WERE THE ONE WHO INVITED YOURSELF OVER! WHAT WAS I JUST SUPPOSED TO TURN YOU AWAY!?"

 _"_ _YES!"_ Gray stood up and yelled. "YOU'RE IN A RELATIONSHIP! I just came to see if you were bored…"

He then got serious with her. "Hold up…we both clearly made a conscious decision to get together…do you…?"

Juvia knew what he was about to ask, and his distracting muscular chest wasn't going to help her answer. As a result she turned her blushing cheeks away and tried to continue. "I-I mean Bora's always out of town, and your team just lost…we were just trying to cheer each other up…"

Juvia was clearly growing very uncomfortable with the situation, but Gray had no idea how to respond. He only ever got involved with the two fans because he didn't like how Bora was treating her. But now…

He let out a long sigh and finally continued. "Listen. What are we? Friends? More? I need to clear this up before I can start making anymore arguments."

Juvia started to calm down. "I…I'm not sure. I just like spending time with you while Bora is away…I never thought you would enjoy being around _me_ though."

Gray's mind clicked. _"While_ _Bora_ _is away…"_ He then looked up at her.

"Okay, I think this is a good time to start answering a few questions…Juvia what do you think Bora does when he's out of town? Does he keep in touch? Does he go alone, or do co-workers travel with him?"

"I-I-I…" Juvia knew her fault because she had no idea how to answer those questions. She then held her head down and started to tear up.

"I…I'm a horrible girlfriend."

Crying into her sheets, Gray now shook his head. "Hey stop beating yourself up. You are not a bad girl friend…" He then slid over and grabbed one of her hands.

"Juvia…I don't know why Bora feels the need to leave all the time. It's pretty obvious that you're fun to be around."

That made Juvia crack a smile. "R-really?"

Gray laughed. "Duh? You're cooking is out of this world, you already have favorite bars and restaurants across town even though you just moved here, and hey you love the Fairies too."

Juvia wiped the tears from her eyes and tightened the grip on his hand. "Thank you…maybe I'll try asking him more questions when he's away."

Gray nodded silently as Juvia grabbed her phone. Then, as she opened the lock screen ad scrolled through the apps, her eyes widened to three times their normal size.

"Oh _no_ …you have to leave."

Gray's eyes matched hers. "What? Don't tell me…"

 **"** **Flight just landed and I'm 30 minutes from home. It'd be awfully nice to have some breakfast ready when I get home…luv you."**

That was sent 40 minutes ago by Bora.

Juvia shoved Gray off her bed and snapped at her shirt and panties. "Hand me those quick! And leave as fast as you can!"

"NO KIDDING!" Gray obeyed and threw her the cloths as he threw on his own jeans and shoes and tried to wrap his shirt on as well.

He raced through the bedroom door, but then turned to give her one last word. "This conversation…it's not over."

Juvia nodded and replied. "Hurry!"

Gray darted around her kitchen and living room furniture as he slipped through the foyer and out the door of the apartment. As he tried fixing his shirt, the professional basketball player never even bothered to comb his hair or look in a mirror at his tired face. Then, the most awkward moment passed through the apartment hallway. As Gray was ready to step onto the opening elevator, Bora was stepping out.

"Oh excuse me…wait, is that Gray Fullbuster I see?" Bora did a double take as he observed the very tired FBA player. "Damn, it's good to see ya! We haven't had the chance to talk after any of your recent games."

"Um…thanks." Gray struggled to give him eye contact as they swapped places in the elevator.

Bora laughed. "I mean I'm not going to lie, I'm more partial to Gajeel's style of play. But hey, you're Juvia's favorite player, which makes you one of mine as well."

Gray acted confused. "Who? Oh your girlfriend. Yea she does act really excited when she sees me...er at games."

Bora laughed. "Yea, well try to win one for us next time, okay?" He nudged Gray in the stomach in a joking manor before noticing Gray's shirt wasn't buttoned up. "Woah…you just got back from a date night with one of my floor mates, didn't you?"

Gray's world nearly froze. "Um…"

Bora grinned and kept his finger on the elevator button that signaled to keep the door opened. "Well count yourself lucky. The girls on this floor are total knockouts. I can't say I blame you."

Gray corrected his face and started to look annoyed. "Thank you?"

Bora shrugged. "Hey, I'm just trying to be honest. I mean…there is a reason I chose this building after all."

Gray narrowed his eyes, but quickly let out a chuckle to cover his tail. "Yeah…well tell Juvia I said hi for me."

Bora stood back and smiled. "Oh right, I'll be sure to do that. Maybe I'll see ya around the floor some time." He then waved and rolled his luggage off down the hall and let the door shut on Gray and his thoughts.

"Okay, well I was feeling guilty…" Gray sighed and started to grin. "…but hey, it's starting to feel like maybe that dick was asking for it all along."

* * *

As the morning turned to day, Gray found himself glued to his computer trying to find more evidence on the whole "Bora situation", just to prove he wasn't out of line.

"Okay, well I'm not really ready to tell my teammates about my little home wrecker morning…but I need to start figuring out what the hell this Bora guy does on those trips.

Before it was simple curiosity, but after last night Gray started to realize something. Juvia and Bora moved to Magnolia from Oaktown, and ever since the transfer the boyfriend in the relationship always left her alone every other weekend in a foreign new city.

In any case, even if she was slightly wrong to be hanging out with Gray all the time, Juvia was just trying to find comfort to fill the hole left by her travelling boyfriend. Even more though…there was more than just business behind Bora's trips, and Gray was going to get to the bottom of it.

He started thinking to himself once more. "Okay, what's the name of his company again? _Sinclair Sailing_ , or something stupid like that?" Gray surfed the web to try and find a website for Bora's boating company, and just to his luck he managed to find one right on the first result.

"Okay…here it is. It says he has a lot of branches around water, so I guess Magnolia's North Lake made him confident enough to open up shop here…" He continued scrolling through to find most of the references were from the Cait Shelter office.

"Hmm, this seems like a big branch." He clicked on the link to their directory and noticed a long list of employees and salesmen. However, seated at the top of the list were two very familiar deep blue eyes smiling back at him.

"Sorano Agria? It says she's the branch manager…" Gray continued to scroll through the website until he hit the bottom of the page, where it was here that he found a semi-convincing banner picture staring. A mini mosaic of pictures decorated the foot of the website featuring dozens of company photos, but one that caught his eye more than the others was one group photo, where he noticed Bora and Sorano were awfully close to one another.

He went to click on her page, but then noticed his phone start to buzz. As he picked it up, he smiled to se Juvia had texted him.

 **"** **Bora tried the leftovers from our dinner…he said they were okay but he thinks I need to try a new dish :("**

Gray frowned and quickly replied. He seemed to be pretty energized for looking into Bora, but he decided this was a worthy moment to take a tiny break and lean back.

 **"** **Okay, so send them to me. I thought it was pretty good."**

He sent the message and waited for a reply.

 **"** **Really? Well hopefully you'll get another chance to try it :)"**

That made Gray smile, and quickly reply.

 **"Maybe. H** **ey, what do you know about Sorano Agria?"** Gray felt a little too forward to send the message, but he decided enough was enough.

Juvia took a little longer to reply. **"Um…she works with Bora's company?"**

Gray nodded and sent his text. **"Srry, just wondering. I saw them together when I played down in Cait Shelter. They looked like they knew each other pretty well."**

Juvia relied. **"Oh that's because she's the branch manager down there. Actually before she worked down there she was actually his secretary in Oaktown."**

Gray didn't like that, but couldn't reply before Juvia sent back a second message.

 **"** **And I believe they dated? I'm not sure…I don't really like to talk about that."**

Gray sighed and threw his phone on his desk. "God damn it…Now I'm almost positive."

He then grabbed it again and shot a quick reply. **"Really?! Does that bother you to see him take all those trips down there?"**

Juvia lingered in her reply. **"I guess so? Bora told me he always brings other workers with him so I assumed everything is just kept professional. Hey listen Bora want's to watch a movie with me…I have to go."**

Gray really threw his phone this time and grabbed his bottle of water, officially declaring the text conversation over. "Yea? I bet he doesn't …she's just lying cause she's afraid of the truth."

He then felt a pain growing inside his chest. _"_ _Juvia…why are you gonna let him push you around. I mean I don't really know for sure…but I think he's cheating on you."_

It would appear that Gray would have a long time to ask that question, because for the next few weeks Bora never left town. As Magnolia's record started to climb, the rich boat salesmen found himself staying in more to watch their games. Either way, the turn into October proved to be a very dynamic month for the players of the Magnolia Fairies.

It was here that the season really took an interesting turn of events.

* * *

 **Yes the end sort of rushed into a multi-week transition, but it's okay! Time skips are fun for everyone. We'll get to see how everyone developed. In any case look for the next update eventually!**


	22. 22 - A Romantic Getaway?

**Author's Note: Okay we had a full Gruvia chapter, and tomorrow's will be similar but it will involve a different couple. So today I tried to cover everyone else as much as I could. I liked the result!**

 _ ***This chapter does have a scene with a few raunchy implications. Younger readers proceed with caution***_

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two - A "Romantic" Getaway?

* * *

It was now an entire month and a half into the season of FBA basketball. October weather was taking over Fiore, and autumn would eventually turn into winter as the season road on.

However, the Fairies found a tiny stretch of days where they in fact had no games to play. The second weekend in October delivered absolutely no game for the Magnolia basketball team, which left the teammates themselves free to pursue other activities.

Here in fact is a very different event for the crew of Fairies, because a small portion of Magnolia ballers find themselves residing in the bustling capital city of Crocus on a loud Friday October night like this.

Here, Magnolia Center and team captain, Laxus Dreyar, enjoys a very late night drink with his gorgeous girlfriend Mirajane Strauss inside a very loud and popular karaoke bar in the city's main business district.

Mira giggled as she sipped on her last drink for the night while listening to the local music light up the stage. "Oh I really like this song! And this girl is doing a wonderful job at signing it too!"

Laxus tried to follow her into the conversation. "Yea? Well I'm surprised your eardrums are still able to work after Gajeel's performance. When he told Levy he could sing karaoke, I was kind of hoping he was be lying about it…"

Mira laughed. "Oh stop it! He was being honest, and I actually liked his performance. _Shoo-bee-doo-ba!_ Hehe it's so fun to say!" Mira recited the lyrics from Gajeel's performance earlier in the night as she spun the plastic straw in her drink. "Besides, as least _he_ has the guts to go on stage…"

Laxus smiled and looked her in the eye. "For the last time Mira, _no_ duets." He grabbed his beer and kept his arm around her shoulders. "So tell me. How do you think the team's been playing so far?"

Mira was waiting for the basketball talk to start. "Oh I don't know…second place in the East is a nice place to be! It is kinda sad to see you guys haven't moved up the entire month, though."

Laxus agreed and looked sorry for his own case. "Yea I was thinking the same thing. Agh it's just so frustrating to try and get everyone on the same page!"

Mira grabbed his free hand. "Hey don't say that! You guys are just getting unlucky…you're team chemistry has actually improved a lot over the last month."

Laxus raised an eyebrow. "Really? I can't tell."

Mira smiled. "Of course! After all, look why we're here! If Levy didn't invite the five of us to Crocus for her little conference, we wouldn't be having a fun trip with them!"

Levy McGarden had a league wide GM conference in Crocus during this mini-league break. As a result she tried to invite some of her friends to join her and Gajeel on their trip out west, and the only four yeses she received back were from Mira, Laxus, Jellal, and Erza.

However, the fact that Mira and Laxus were now sitting alone on one side of a four person booth made her laugh. "I mean…we're not back at the hotel with each other right _now_ , but that's only because we're bigger drinkers than they are!"

Laxus laughed as his girlfriend's silly analysis. "Yea, which reminds me. I think you've had one too many." He grinned and slid her drink out of reach.

Mira whined and reached out to try and grab it. "No! I won't be able to enjoy you without that!"

Laxus removed his arm from her shoulders and held his hand high as he slowly stood up from the booth. As he took the joke from Mira in an even funnier direction she laughed and grabbed his arm to pull him back down.

"Noo! I was kidding, silly! I only need the drink to get me ready for our duet." She winked to him and leaned in closer to his chest.

Laxus grinned. "Oh is that so? Well if that's the case you're gonna have to get me a whole lot more of these if ya want my ass on stage." He shook his near empty beer bottle as he took the last sip.

"Okay!" She then jumped up and looked over to the bar. "EXCUSE ME CAN I GET A COUPLE MORE…!"

Laxus dragged her bag down to her seat and planted his lips right on hers. She accepted the kiss and brought him in closer, and as they release she giggled once more. "You can't keep me silent forever, Laxus."

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Eh, I'll be tryin' either way."

* * *

Now we find the two Fairies that were now walking down the crowded streets of Midnight Crocus alone as they just left their double date with Mira and Laxus.

Levy sighed as she held Gajeel's arm. "Well, now that we're out of things to talk about…that was some singing tonight, Gajeel…" She tried to crack a smile, but barely held in her laughs.

"Yea yea, laugh it up. You and Laxus just don't know good music." Gajeel looked annoyed but continued to allow Levy to hold his arm. "I shoulda just stayed with Mira. She gets me, and my soul."

Levy shook her head. "Oh trust me, I get you better than you think."

Her smiling face made him grin in return. "Really? Okay why did I decided to come to Magnolia?"

Levy smiled. "Oh cause Jose was mean to you in Oaktown!" She proudly remembered one of the first conversations they ever held after his first team loss.

Gajeel laughed. "No, that's why I left the Phantoms. I'm askin you, why did I choose _Magnolia?"_

Levy paused. "Oh…I'm not sure. If I had to guess, it definitely wasn't the money. You're not that kind of person."

Gajeel looked impressed. "Hm…alright go on?"

Levy smiled with pride for being on the right track. "Oh! You wanted more playing time, but for a team that actually needed it. Magnolia was last in the league so you wanted to try and make them better."

Gajeel clapped his hands together. "Wow, you know me better than I thought, Short Stuff…"

Levy grinned back. "Yea? Well how about me? Why did I come to Magnolia?"

Gajeel howled. "HA! Easy? Cause you were too lousy to get a job some place else!"

Levy didn't like that and began to pout. "…thanks, Gajeel."

Gajeel howled again and grabbed her arm even tighter. "Ah come on. Let's just get back to the room already. That big bed seems awfully comfy right about now."

"O-oh, yea…it does." Levy nervously smiled at the reminder that they were sharing a room tonight. As a result she rested her head on Gajeel's muscular right arm as they continued to walk through the streets.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at their hotel, but in a completely different room.

"Oh…wow that was amazing."

Erza and Jellal were breathing heavily as they laid naked and beside each other underneath a set of thin white sheets. Erza's hands were on her stomach as she tried to catch her breath, while Jellal stretched one arm behind her head and the other behind his. "I agree…I'm glad I quit smoking, otherwise that would have been pretty rough for both of us."

Erza laughed. "Well you can thank me for that one too." She leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he responded by gently grabbing her chin and lowering her lips to meet his own instead. As they finished kissing, Jellal slowly made the effort to roll out of bed.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." He jumped off the mattress and wondered over to the bathroom, and as he flipped the bathroom light on Erza shouted up at him.

"You don't have to move, you know…the view is wonderful where you're at right now." She was admiring his unclothed backside as he entered the bathroom, and Jellal simply smiled and began shutting the door.

"Trust me, _my_ view is way better." He caught a quick glance at her curvaceous body from underneath the thin sheets before he shut the door behind him. Erza smiled and rolled back over to the middle of the bed, keeping her hands firmly over her heart. Then, she heard a buzzing from his phone on the left side table, and in curiosity she giggled and leaned over to grab it.

 _"_ _Hmm…he's 28, and he's been in the league for 9 years…"_ She then estimated the year he was drafted into the FBA and quickly entered in the result to try and unlock his phone. As it succeeded, she grinned in victory. "Okay…let's see who could be texting at such a late… _hour?_ "

The reply sent a nervous tingle down her spine. Actually it was the full conversation that weirded her out entirely.

 **"** **Hey did I just see your cute face walking through Crocus? ;)"**

Jellal's response read:

 **"** **I'm sorry, who is this?"**

 **"** **Oh…it's Kamika…we met last year at _Bar Sun_ up town? :/"**

 **J: "I'm sorry, you seem to have the wrong number."**

Finally the most recent message read with a quick ending.

 **K: "Oh…sorry you're too stuck up to talk. Ass"**

The first few were all dated several hours ago. Erza was worried that the girl _didn't_ have the wrong number, and as her curiosity peeked, a new text came in from a completely different phone, and a completely _different_ girl.

 **"** **Here…in case you change your mind"**

This person sent a message with a picture attached, and it clearly depicted a gorgeous girl with cotton candy pink hair winking into the camera, while also showing her very exposed, and very ample chest in a well angled photo.

Erza gasped and nearly dropped the phone before she started reading that original comment thread as well.

 **"** **Hey it's Cosmo from Crocus…are you in town? I thought I just saw you walking down the street. ;p"**

Jellal's response:

 **"** **I'm sorry. You have the wrong number."**

 **C: "Oh stop it…you know I had a lot of fun last time you were here ;) If you are in town you should let me know…"**

 **J: "Please stop texting me."**

 **C: "Ugh…fine :("**

Then, Jellal never responded, which prompted the very promiscuous girl to send the newest picture. These were all dated much more recently in the night and maybe arrived right as Jellal and Erza were starting to enjoy themselves.

"Um…Erza?"

The red-haired beauty froze with fear as she tried to hide his phone from view. "Um y-yes?"

Jellal tilted his head as he peaked from the bathroom doorway. "Sorry…erm, did my phone go off by chance?"

Erza's face was sadly starting to turn to red. "No I never heard it. Mine might have gone off, but it's in my purse."

Jellal looked very confused. "Oh…okay, just wondering."

He went back inside the bathroom to shut off the light, which provided Erza with just enough time to turn off his screen and throw the phone back on the table.

Jellal smiled as he came back to join her. "Now…I'm not sure about you but I don't think I'm ready for bed."

Erza's mind was racing with confusion, anger, fear, and most of all disappointment in herself. However, Jellal's piercing grey eyes and silky smooth voice all washed over her mind to lay her rushing thoughts at ease.

"Well…I'll have to agree with you there. It is only midnight after all…"

* * *

Finally, our last stop for the night is completely removed from Crocus and returns us right back to Magnolia, where two very ornery high school freshmen find themselves standing at the foot of a very tall apartment skyscraper down town.

"Romeo, your friends are waiting!" Wendy smiled and pointed to the car parked down on the curb.

Romeo laughed. "Eh, those idiots can wait…I just wanted to walk you up to the door first."

Wendy smiled while blushing. "You're really sweet. I'd let you come in, but it's kinda late…and my brother is probably still awake."

Romeo felt a shiver roll down his spine "Yea…I think I'll just avoid him for the night, haha." He then looked her in the eye and gave her a quick hug. Wendy smiled and accepted, and as both the young students lingered for a moment longer, they each secretly wanted to move a step further.

Sadly, they released their hug and Romeo ran back to the car. "Um, okay…see you before the dance tomorrow."

"O-okay…" Wendy beamed as her heart was slowing down. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Finally Romeo and his friends drove off and left Wendy to return inside. As soon as she closed the glass door she sighed.

"Ahhhh…he's really nice. But …I really hope Natsu's not awake."

Sadly she was wrong...

"Well…glad ta see _you_ finally decided to come home."

Wendy looked guilty for being out too late as they now both were inside their spacious living room. "I'm sorry Nastu…the football game went into overtime, and then we all went out afterword cause most the players know Romeo from basketball."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yea yea, I'm not mad. As long as you had a good night." Then the room fell silent for a tiny moment in time.

"You excited for the dance tomorrow?" He asked with concern.

Wendy couldn't help but smile in her reply. "Yea, I'm kinda nervous. But mostly I'm just really excited!"

Nastu smiled back. "Hey, I'm glad to hear that! It'll be fun."

Wendy then snapped her finger. "Oh hey! You'll never guess who won the vote for Homecoming Queen!"

Natsu started to chuckle. "Oh I have a feeling I know who won it…man I told her she had nothing to worry about."

"Huh?" Wendy sat down. "Lucy told me she really didn't want to win it. I guess she even tried to have her name pulled from the ballot."

"Really?" Natsu sounded confused. "Huh? So even though she didn't want to win the school still gave it to here?"

Wendy shrugged. "She's so popular! Plus she's really pretty, and her dad is really rich."

Natsu smiled. "Yea…I guess. So who'd she end up going with for tomorrow night? Probably the loser who won king with her?"

"Um…?" Wendy had to think. "Actually, she told me she was planning on going alone."

"What?" Natsu sat up from the couch. "Why? She shouldn't go alone to her senior homecoming!"

Wendy laughed. "Natsu you were on the king's court and you _skipped_ yours!"

Nastu laughed in return. "No that's different, and I never won the stupid thing, anyway. Lucy's really involved and stuff…did no one ask her?"

Wendy frowned. "Actually like every guy in her class did. Even the guys who were all nominated for king. The boy that won begged her four times, but she still said no. He's even the school Quarterback and basketball star."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Hmf, I bet he's not really that good. Last I checked Elfman was the best athlete that high school ever produced."

Wendy giggled. "Natsu it's not a competition. But no it's okay I guess because Yukino and Meldy are going alone with her. They got a lot of offers too, but they really care about Lucy. I guess they're going to spend time before hand getting ready for her…!"

Wendy was going to say "party" until Nastu turned her way.

"Wendy…?" He asked slowly. "…did you get invited to Lucy's party?"

Wendy froze with fear. "Um…no I…Oh okay! I did and I really was looking forward to going!"

Natsu waved his hands. "Kid, I can't stop you from having a good time…but from the sounds of things that's going to be a pretty big party with no adults anywhere. You can't go around doing anything stupid in Ol' Heartfilia's mansion."

Wendy sighed. "I know…I can't act like you did when you were in school, is that it?"

Natsu smiled and nodded with pride. "Hehe, glad you understand!"

Wendy shook her head and walked back into the hallway. "Okay. Night, Natsu. Love you."

"Night, Wendy. Love you too!" Natsu smiled in return. He then waited for her to leave before he let his thoughts pour out into the open.

"Lucy's really going alone? Man…that just doesn't sit well with me at all."

* * *

 **Okay recap!**

 **1.) Laxus and Mira are comfortably enjoying themselves, but I feel bad for Mira. She just wanted to sing a song with Laxus. Come on, Laxus. Man up!**

 **2.) Gajeel and Levy really do feel good together! Levy seems to like the pace of their relationship, and other than Miraxus (because Miraxus was already a couple heading into the story) I think GaLe is the most stable of the newly developing relationships.**

 **3.) Jerza...oh the hot and heavy Jerza. I probably explained this before, but it's pretty clear in the real FT NaLu and GaLe are the cutesy adorable couples, Gruvia is the awkward comic relief couple, and Jerza is clearly the mature/intimate/romantic couple. I try to replicate that the best I can. (Also Erza's doing some very naughty snooping into Jellal's phone...but doesn't she sort of have the right? And damn Jellal how loose are you!?)**

 **4.)Rowen got some nice moments here...they're still young though. Oh they should have shared a kiss! :(**

 **5.) A tease into tomorrow's chapter for the last couple. Natsu seems concerned for his close friend...I wonder where that will lead him to go?**

 **So you people really like my constant updating...I mean I re-read some comments and you all _REALLY_ love my updates! Would you believe me when I said back in September with the release of my first two stories I used to upload 2 chapters a day? That went waaay too fast so I trimmed it down to one. Still, you all are the first audience to _actually_ acknowledge and thank me for it, so my response is no problem! :D**

 **As always _PLEASE_ try and leave a review, and new chapter soon!**


	23. 23 - The Queen's Party

**Author's Note: AHHHHHH y'all probably thought you weren't getting a chapter today! PSYCH! Here it is! I had to finish a paper for an Environmental Studies class before I updated, but I got it!**

 **And no, as readers I love your concern but please do not think I am overworking myself. I didn't start updating stories daily because my early audiences demanded me to. I did it because I love to read my stories as well, and I hate waiting for authors to finish their work. SO since I'm the writer, and have full control over my own story, I update as much as possible! ANYWAY, here it is, the chapter I've been waiting to release since the beginning...enjoy.**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy tail._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Tree - The Queen's Party

* * *

A full day has passed since the events from yesterday, and now it is late in the evening on this warm but breezy early October Saturday night. The city of Magnolia is as usual bustling with lights and noises as the late night citizens come outside to enjoy what may be essentially the last warm night of autumn.

However, this chapter will be removed from Magnolia central and instead focused all over the sprawling urban center in east-central Fiore. Right now, the Magnolia Height's Prep School had just wrapped up their annual Homecoming Dance, and as the young high schoolers were all sad to see the dance party come to an end, the _real_ night was just about to begin.

Before we get there, we first find Natsu Dragneel passed out asleep on his couch watching a college football game on the Fiore Sports Network. He went in with more interest in the match up, but the game apparently wasn't exciting enough to keep him awake. However, the young FBA all-star quickly heard a loud buzzing noise repeatedly going off from his phone as he tried to toss and turn to avoid answering it.

"Agh shut up Gray…I don't wanna hear about your girl problems…" He moaned into the couch pillow and tried to fall back asleep, but the loud volume and play-by-play announcers on the TV were slowly starting to wake him up.

"Okay, he drops back to pass, rolls out wide just barely avoiding a tackle and OH WAIT HE'S GOING LONG!"

Natsu snapped his head up to see the football on TV spiraling down the field and nearly reaching the end zone, but to his dismay the pass bobbled around and quickly fell out of the receiver's hands.

"Agh that was lame…" He finally sat up and stretched his arms to wake himself up, and soon after he reached over and grabbed his phone.

"Huh…missed call from... _Wendy_. Ah great." He moaned and redialed the number to try and reach his seemingly in distressed sister.

"Natsu?"

"Yea hey. I dozed off. What's up?"

Wendy paused. "Oh sorry…um we have a problem."

Natsu grabbed the bridge of his nose. "You went to Lucy's didn't you? Ah great, what are they having you do?"

"Um what? …No it's not that, sorry…Look…just…could you come out here?"

Natsu had no idea why Wendy was trying to contact him, and he was actually hoping to stay in and catch the end of the Tartaros game playing from across the country, but he could clearly hear loud music and yelling in the back ground which no doubt left him very nervous with worried big brother thoughts.

"Agh…fine give me like 20 minutes."

* * *

Now, Natsu was seen flying down the east side of Magnolia racing around in his all red sports car he bought last month. Normally Natsu accrued motion sickness when riding in a vehicle, but for some reason it went away whenever he drove the car himself. Now he furiously rubs his hands though his messy hair and tries to keep his speed up to arrive on time.

"God damn it, Wendy. I said the party was going to be a bad idea…Agh if I see Lucy here I'm gonna give her a piece of my…" He didn't finish that thought as his car's GPS directed him to turn right ahead, to which he responded. The swift driver switched gears and smoothly turned into the luxurious driveway to find a bright golden gate blocking his path into the mansion.

"Geeze! What the hell, did the guy buy a hospital or something!?" Natsu was impressed by the mansion's size as he was quickly greeted by two security guards outside the gate. The first man he saw was a very trim man with a short head of black hair giving him a salute on his arrival, but the man that walked up to Natsu's car was much taller and had far bigger muscles. He also had large neck tattoos around his very pale skin, and he even carried a large golden nose piercing right though his nostrils.

The man smiled and leaned his hand on the roof of the car. "Well, this is a nice ride you've got here…but sorry we're gonna need an invitation before we let ya _mooove_ on through through."

Natsu's eyes started to twitch. "Hold up. You two clowns are Jude's _security guards_? Why the hell did you let his daughter have the party in the first place!?"

The tall man leaned in the window. "That doesn't concern you…hold on you're Natsu Dragneel from the Fairies!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Oh…hehe yea that's me. I take it you're a fan?"

The man howled. "Hell yes! God you guys are playing lights out compared to last year!" He then held his hand up to the window. "The name's Tom, but everyone calls me by my nickname, _Taurus_."

Natsu grabbed the hand respectfully. "Nice ta meet ya! So hey, you mind letting me in really quick? My sister's inside and she wanted me ta pick her up."

Taurus nodded and snapped to his colleague. "Yo Sagittarius, throw open the gate and let my boy Natsu in the house!"

The slender man to his back left side nodded. "Very well! I aim to please any guest of Ms. Lucy's!" He then ran inside and switched open the gate.

Nastu nodded and went to drive through, but heard Taurus yelling out one more gesture. "Watch out man! There are some _good_ lookin' women in there! They'll _mooove_ right on ya if you're not too careful."

"Hehe, thanks for the heads up." Natsu chuckled and waved back. He then started driving forward to find a very lengthy line of parked cars along the path of the driveway. As he pulled around and parked way off in the grassy yard, Natsu quickly jumped out of his car. He then walked towards the large mansion that practically looked like a castle standing alone in the forest.

"Geeze, no wonder she's always wanted to host a party. This place is awesome!" He laughed to himself, and as he got closer to the door the music and laughter from inside was only growing louder.

"Ah this sucks…I hate high schoolers." Natsu sighed and walked up the large stoop to find himself knocking on a very wide burgundy door. His first knock quickly turned into a gradual pound, and then eventually turned into a hard slam right on the center just to blare past the noise from inside. Natsu continued smashing the bottom of his fist on the door until it finally opened.

On the other side was a very quiet Wendy…and she looked _pissed._

Natsu started into a faint chuckle. "Hehe, what crawled up your butt?"

Wendy blinked her eyes and opened the door even more, revealing a sea of drunken high schoolers laughing and dancing inside the large foyer of the mansion behind her.

Natsu's jaw nearly touched ground as his eyes grew twice their normal size. "Dear god…what kind of party is this?!"

Wendy finally spoke up. "My head is killing me…I haven't even had a drop to drink yet."

Wendy turned back inside and expected Natsu to follow, to which he did. He chose to wear a red t-shirt with black sweat pants and a matching jacket only because he rushed to leave, but in a crowd of all homecoming dresses and tuxedos he really stuck out like a sore thumb.

As they wondered through a maze of human drunks, Wendy finally arrived to a semi-quiet place in the hallway. "Natsu this party is really getting big."

Natsu smiled and made sure to look up and down the hall. "Hell yea it is! Wait...why am I excited about that?"

Wendy frowned. "I have no idea, but there are too many people here. Lucy kept the guards at the gate, but the rest of the staff was called off for the night. She's going to trash this place!"

"Ah damn it you're right…" Natsu understood the weight of the situation, and quickly pulled out his phone.

Wendy saw him swipe for Jude's phone number. "NATSU YOU CAN'T TELL ON HER!"

Natsu put the phone to his ear and waved his hand. "Relax. The guy isn't gonna answer…his butler will."

He was right. When the phone picked up it wasn't the stern and rough voice of his employer Jude, but the mysterious deep voice of his assistant, Caprico.

"…yes?"

"Oy! It's Natsu Dragneel. Listen we need to talk."

After a tiny conversation with a whole lot of Natsu yelling, the fiery Point Guard finally hung up the phone.

"Hehe problem solved." Natsu grinned with pride.

Wendy wasn't convinced. "Um…what did he say?"

Natsu patted her on the shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry about it. Give it a half hour, hour tops. In the meantime let me find a beer, and while I'm at it where's Romeo? I've been meaning to apologize about…!"

"OH MY GOD! NATSU IS _HERE_!?"

Wendy's eyes grew frighteningly large as Natsu felt an uncomfortable chill roll down his spine. As they both turned around the two Dragneels were greeted by two of Wendy's older friends, Meldy and Yukino.

Both girls were clearly intoxicated as they each had eccentric expressions glued firmly to their faces. Medly's cheeks were rosy red and matched her tight, strapless homecoming dress, while Yukino looked very sad about something and matched her skin to her pale white dress as well.

Meldy ran right up and grabbed Natsu's hands. "YES! Lucy is going to flip when she sees you showed up! Take your coat off! Stay a while!" She started to take Natsu's jacket without his consent as he started to laugh.

"Hehe _hey?_ " Natsu then turned back towards his sister. "…Wendy who are these people?"

Meldy handed Wendy the jacket and tried to stop wobbling. "Oh silly me! I'm _Meeeldy,_ and that's Yukino! We're bffs with your sister, and Lucy too!"

Yukino looked worried and quickly grabbed Natsu's left arm. "Yes, it's nice to meet you, but please come quick. We need your help!"

Natsu had no choice but to leave his sister and follow the gorgeous high school girls down the long hallway. Medly then ran up and grabbed his right arm and started laughing on the walk down.

"Wow, you are _really_ strong! I guess all FBA players have to be well-built, but WOW…" She blushed as she grabbed his arm tighter and started feeling his muscles. "Lucy will not shut up about you, Natsu! You're like the second word to come out of her mouth…wait no I mean, you're like the every _other_ second word to come out her mouth…teehee that still doesn't make sense! Am I drunk or what?!"

Yukino pulled Natsu over to her side and began to argue with Meldy. "No no, quit lying! Natsu she only talks about you every once in a while. She's upset you couldn't go to the dance with her…" Yukino looked very sad to say that and leaned her very soft, drunken head on his left shoulder.

Natsu tried to give her a laugh. "Ha…I guess you guys really have been drinkin'...My lord, are you guys sure you're in high school?!"

Meldy laughed at that. "HA! You're funny, Natsu. No wonder Lucy's always going on about how great you…OMG is that a tattoo!?"

She rolled up his short red sleeve to reveal a matching Fairy emblem tattooed on his arm. Then her cheeks turned a brighter shade of red. "Hehe, wow forget Lucy! I may just steel you all for _myself_."

Natsu quickly responded. "Whoa whoa whoa, _steal_ me? What the hell has Lucy been saying about me!?"

"HERE!" Yukino yelled out and turned their group into the very large and expensive kitchen, where the party was obviously continuing as this was the main sight for drinks and snacks.

As they weaved through a crowd of people and a very large kitchen island counter, Natsu was finally directed to a small group of several youngsters. There appeared to be three very tall and athletic boys surrounding a girl sitting on the counter, and all the boys had bright silver sashes worn around their outfits, with the tallest one wearing an extra one of gold.

Before they all turned around, Meldy yelled to interrupt their conversation. "Excuse me, the _Queen_ has a visitor!"

The three boys parted to reveal a very bubbly and intoxicated blonde high schooler wearing a shiny silver tiara around her pigtailed head. Right away, Lucy raised her head and smiled brighter than ever. "NO WAY! _NATSU!?"_

She jumped off the counter and wrapped the poor basketball player in a very tight hug. She had on a soft pink strapless dress that flared out at the hip and ended right at the middle of her thigh. She was wobbling around and her eyes appeared to be pretty glazed with alcoholic nausea.

"What are _yoooou_ doing here?" She tried to sound flirty as she poked him in the chest.

Natsu tried to answer, but the tallest boy beat him to a response. "No joke. What the hell do you think you're…no way YOU'RE NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

Natsu was getting really tired from hearing that same reaction. "Yes, I am…who the hell are you?"

The tall muscular boy removed his bright blue velvet crown as he slicked his dark red hair back and smiled. "The name's _Dan Straight_. I'm the school QB, but you can just call me the King of Heights Prep!"

Natsu wanted to gag. "King of _what_? Look I don't have time for this high school crap, I need to talk ta Lucy."

Dan stood taller and grabbed Natsu by the arm. "Whoa, man. I love your gameplay, but I didn't say you could do _that._ "

Right way, Dan's shorter and more trimmed friend started to laugh. He had a head of purple and white hair with a handsome smile. "Um, Dan. That may not be a good idea. This guy is _totally_ an FBA player."

To the right was a very ridiculous looking blonde boy who stood at equal height to Dan. "I'm going to agree with Hughes. Dan this would not be wise at all."

Dan howled with laughter and turned to his friends. "No way, Sugar Boy, you too!? What the hell is up with you guys?!"

Lucy held Natsu's arm and stuck her tongue out at Dan. "Yea, Natsu wants you ta scooch on outta here, big guy!"

Dan looked completely blown away as he started to tear up. "Man...I looked up to you as a basketball player…and now you're taking my Lulu away from me…?" he grabbed a beer off the counter and slowly walked away as Hughes and "Sugar Boy" howled with laughter and followed in his sorrow.

Lucy leaned up and whispered into Nastu's ear for no reason. " _Psssst_ …I'm not really his Lulu! I don't even know where he came up with that!"

Natsu rolled his eyes. "I figured that much Lucy…hey what the hell's going on?"

Lucy laughed and grabbed a pitcher from the counter. " _*hic*_ I came in here to make more drinks! LOOK! It's your Fairy Tail thingy!" She handed Natsu the pitcher that appeared to be a mixture of different juices and liquor, but from Natsu's point of view it simply smelled of pure alcohol.

"Geeze Luce how many bottles did you mix in here!?" Natsu asked knowing there was probably far too much.

Lucy giggled and put her finger up to her cheek. "Um I don't remember. Two, three… _seven_? It's good try it!"

"Lucy this could start my car if I put it in the gas tank! You gotta slow down!" He then looked around the messy kitchen full of people. "Plus this place is trashed! You're dad's coming home tomorrow afternoon!"

Lucy scratched her head. "Huh? Well I dunno…It _is_ getting kinda late…okay I guess you're right!"

Natsu shook his head. "Wow that was too easy…okay don't freak out but I called up some help to close down the party."

Lucy started to tilt her head in a playful manor while she twirled one of her pigtails in her hand. "W-who did you call?"

Natsu and Lucy then heard a large crowd of people cheering outside on the lawn and the pink haired boy responded by running as fast as he could. Lucy grabbed his hand and made him pull her as they weaved back through the hallways and outside to see several large city owned charter buses revved up with doors wide open.

Natsu looked completely shocked. "Oh wow damn! He actually sent buses?! I was kidding!"

Lucy held her hands together. "Awe! Natsu were you worried about people driving home drunk?"

Natsu unwillingly shrugged as he tried to stop remembering how his parents passed away. "Yea…just tryin' to help some people out. But man I wasn't expecting _this_ kinda reaction!"

Lucy started to look curious. "Wait, who did you call…?"

Natsu started to laugh. "Ahahaha, doesn't matter. Now go on ahead back inside and I'll be waiting for ya."

Lucy tilted her head and gave him a wink. " _Ooooh_ , I getcha." She then spun around and wobbled back through her own front door.

Natsu smacked himself in the cheek and shook his head. "Agh great…guess I'm playing babysitter tonight after all."

* * *

Now, Natsu was found back inside the upper floors of the mansion talking to Wendy just outside the doors of a fairly large bedroom.

"Okay Wendy you and Romeo can use the two guest bedrooms, but you HAVE to sleep in them separately! I'm not even sure why he didn't go home with his…"

"NATSU! Why would you even say something like that!?" Wendy began to blush as she turned into the room. "Besides where are you going to sleep?"

He shrugged and grabbed the door knob. "Eh there's like 4 couches in the living room. I think I'll be fine." He then dragged the door shut until Wendy stopped it and reached out to give him a hug.

"Hey Natsu…thanks. I know Lucy's kinda out of it, but she'd be really happy to see you came to help her."

Natsu smiled and rubbed Wendy's head in the hug. "Yea, I know she would."

They then released and wished each other a good night. Natsu now wondered back down the long upstairs hallway as he began to plan his own sleeping arrangements. "Hm, there's no way I'll find the laundry room in this place! Maybe there'll be blankets on the couch…?"

"NATSU? IS THAT YOU!?"

"Agh…great." Natsu realized his path left him to walk right passed Lucy's wide open bedroom door, and the sorry FBA player was forced to turn around and greet his intoxicated host.

"Look Lucy I'm really tired. Just get to bed and we can talk in the…" He went to talk but he froze the conversation as she began to giggle from the bed.

"Hehehehe." Lucy laughed as she laid back on her bed. "The ceiling has a bunch of curly cues…oh hey Natsu! Come in here! I needed you to help me real quick!"

Swallowing his pride, the angry Dragneel boy entered into the luxurious teenaged bedroom of the spoiled Lucy Heartfilia, and as he caught a strong scent of perfume and fragrance sprays, Lucy sat up.

" _*hic*_ The Queen needs her pajamas." She smiled with a tease in her voice and crossed her legs.

Natsu's fist was completely clenched, and the whites of his knuckles were showing as he looked around the room and found a white t-shirt and pair of black shorts sitting in a laundry basket over in the corner.

He walked over and grabbed them. "Here…these will work fine."

Lucy tilted her head. "Natsu…are you mad?"

In truth he kind of was, but her cute face and innocent eyes made him sigh and rethink his position. "Lucy I'm just tired…I'm sorry. I'll quit frowning."

"Okay, I like the sound of that." She replied with more cheer in her voice. "Now! Help the queen with her wardrobe."

Lucy sat on the edge of her bed with her head pointing down, and the tip top was pointing at Natsu. "Remove my crown, please!"

Natsu's eye started to twitch as Lucy was looking down and couldn't see his anger. "Lucy…I'm not takin the crown off for ya."

Lucy shook her head and kept it pointing right at him. "Natsu. Take off my crown."

He began growling under his breath as he walked forward and took off the silver tiara with his left hand, and threw it onto her dresser across the room. Lucy looked up after words and beamed with another innocent smile. "Okay! Cloths, please!"

The buzzed blonde now held out her left hand and waited for Nastu to give her the shirt and pants. Shaking with rage, Natsu extended his right fist out and gave her the wadded up ball of cloths, yet instead of grabbing it, Lucy took Natsu's wrist and yanked him down on top of her.

The result left the two young friends very close to one another, and as Lucy's full chest brushed against his own muscular upper body, Natsu entered panic mode. However, before he could reply, Lucy leaned up and whispered into his ear.

"Now take off my _dress_ …"

The last consonant lingered on her tongue in a seductive hiss, and the shear timing in her whisper sent a chill down Natsu's spine, and triggered a new emotion in his brain. Then, as Lucy leaned back, he caught a whiff of the alcohol on her breath, and as a result he rolled his eyes and freed his right arm.

Now standing up, Natsu looked her in the eyes. "Lucy...you're drunk. Go to the bathroom and take the dress off yourself."

Lucy lowered her head and began to frown with what looked like sorrow. "You think I'm ugly don't you…"

"AGH!" Natsu yelled out before collecting his frustration. "Lucy trust me…you are _not_ ugly."

The blonde switched her emotions and looked back to see his slightly honest eyes. "R-really?"

Natsu nodded. "But please, go get changed, and let me go to bed."

Now looking sad and embarrassed with her drunken self, Lucy held her head down once again. "Oh…I'm sorry."

Lucy stood up and marched to her private bathroom, and slowly shut the door. Natsu finally let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! Glad that's…!" He went to continue, but a series of photos caught his eye from the desk at the side of her room. Some had Lucy pictured with her father, but most of the images showed a very young Lucy smiling next to a woman who could have passed as her sister.

"Whoa…is that her mom?" Natsu pondered as he slowly stood up and frowned. "She looks so young. I wonder what happened to her…?"

He would have continued asking, but Lucy came back out with her new shirt and pants on, and she also undid her two pigtails which left a tattered mess of hair roughly on her head.

Natsu had no choice but to crack a smile. "Ah you look kinda funny. Here let me get a picture!"

"AGH NATSU!" Lucy shook her head with embarrassment and raised one hand up to her forehead as she was starting to feel the alcohol detox from her system. "Egh...look I'm sorry, okay!?"

Natsu stopped laughing and looked her way. "Hehe…I know you are."

Lucy never responded and slowly stumbled over to wrap him up in a hug. "Thanks again for helping me…sober Lucy's gonna make it up to you."

Natsu started to laugh. "I'm sure she will, now how about you let drunk Lucy go to bed?"

"Okay…" She lingered for a little bit and stuffed her nose into his shirt. "…you smell nice."

Natsu did a double take at that half drunken comment as Lucy slowly climbed into bed and held the covers over her embarrassed head.

Laughing to himself, Natsu turned around and switched the light completely off. "Night Lucy…see ya in the morning."

* * *

 **Okay that was a long one...your welcome :)**

 **Okay from here to the playoffs (which I think are still a good ways away) I really have no idea what to do, so it'll be a mystery for all of us! I hope to get tomorrow's chapter done asap!**


	24. 24 - A Dinner for Four

**Author's Note: HA! I bet you all thought I was dead...or busy...or extremely lazy. Well the answer is it doesn't matter! Here's a new chapter!**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail_.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Four - A Dinner for _Four_

* * *

It was now mid-morning the day after the wild party inside the Heartfilia Manor. Natsu, Wendy, and her dance date Romeo stayed the night with the intoxicated Lucy, and as the sun sits overhead, we now find the very same blonde homecoming queen slowly waking out of bed.

"Ugh…my head feels like it ways 1000lbs…and why does my voice sound so bad?" Lucy moaned through her horrible feeling as she awoke with a ringing in her ear and shady bags under her eyes.

"Ugh…I feel really hungry…and not hungry at the same time." She never liked having hang overs, but this had to be the worst one she had ever experienced. As a result, the sickly teen reached over to grab her phone, but kept her head under the snug blankets. She then swiped open the screen to reveal one message.

 **"** **Hey. Let me know when you're awake. I wanna make sure you didn't die! Haha XD"**

That was from Natsu, and it left Lucy with a faint blush and a soft smile.

Her stomach was fluttering with emotions as she never sent back her message, because the last thing she remembered was seeing him leave for her living room in the middle of the night. After struggling to get out of bed the poor teenager took a small blanket with her and began to walk out of her room, and eventually down the long flight of spiral stairs at the end of the hallway. Slowly moving with a continued smile on her face, the hung over beauty had a racing heart as she entered into the living room, but once she made it, she did not expect to see the results that followed.

Natsu was gone, and the room looked spotless. In fact, the hallways, the kitchen, the bedroom Lucy passed that contained one of her friends, all completely empty and completely clean.

However, one room was not totally empty.

"Ah, glad to see you're finally awake, Princess."

Lucy turned quickly to find her father's loyal made, Virgo standing in the kitchen cooking some very delicious eggs on the stove. She then stopped her frying and poured the teenager a very tall glass of water. "I imagined you would be waking up soon, so I began your breakfast the moment I finished cleaning the house."

Lucy's eye began to twitch as she took the glass. "V-virgo…did you clean the _entire_ house?!"

The silly maid with bright blue eyes nodded as she scooped an egg. "Why certainly. I cleaned the lawn too. It wasn't even a challenge for me."

Lucy sighed and sat down at the bar. "Well I'm glad one of us is responsible…god why did I have that stupid party last night? My head is killing me!"

Virgo nodded once again. "I agree, it was rather foolish…yet you did appear to have a good time."

Lucy laid her head on the counter. "Egh, I don't even remember most of it…I remember seeing Natsu and Romeo carrying me up the stairs, and then Wendy took them out of my room. Then Natsu came in and…" Her head snapped up as she thought back to her text.

"Wait…what _did_ happen with us!?" She nervously look back through her phone, but to no luck it was only the single message, which left her shaking her head. "No I'm wrong. He just said goodnight and I went to bed. I never flirted with him, and he never hit on me…and we definitely didn't do _that_!"

Virgo cracked a tiny smile. "Well you always _could_ have…too bad you wouldn't remember it."

Lucy picked up a fork and threw it at Virgo's head, but the crafty maid ducked down and let it hit off the wall. Afterwords, the defeated blonde's head fell to the counter once again. "AGH! I don't even know how to behave around him! Are we friends!? Do we even _have_ a relationship!? I practically just see him at games…and practices…and when his sister invites me to his place…and when _he_ invites me to his place…oh man."

She looked nervously down to the floor as Virgo smiled again. "Sounds to me like you're in _looooove_."

This forced Lucy to roll her eyes. "Hehe…shut up. Oh no what if he thinks we're a thing…what if _dad_ thinks we're a thing. He hates it when I talk to his basketball players…" Lucy kept asking these questions until a familiar number sent another message on her phone.

 **"** **YO! LUCY SERIOUSLY BEFORE I CALL AN AMBULANCE! ARE YOU DEAD OR ALIVE!?"**

Lucy began to blush. "O-oh right, I never replied back…" She then sent back a message.

 **"** **Yea…sorry I'm awake. And alive haha."**

She waited nervously for his reply, but instead she received a phone call.

"YO! How about last night!? I probably shouldn't ask ya since you were out pretty good, but your party was off the hook!"

Lucy smiled. "Really? Wow I wish I _could_ remember that."

Natsu howled on his end of the phone. "Ah, so how's the head? I bet it hurts pretty badly, doesn't it?"

Lucy moaned. "I can't even take it anymore…"

"Okay…" he replied. "…WELL HOW ABOUT NOW!? CAN YOU HEAR THIS!?"

He shouted into the microphone and nearly sent Lucy flying off her chair. She finally collected herself and pressed the phone to her ear.

"…y-yea…I'd yell at you but it hurts to speak above a certain volume."

Natsu laughed again. "Hehe, I bet. Well hey! I'll just tell ya all about it when we go out to dinner tonight."

Lucy raised her voice even though it hurt. "HOLD ON WHAT!?"

Natsu laughed once again. "HA! Chill out, Lucy you didn't plan it, I just decided it right when ya called! Gray's been on my case about some chick he met a while ago, and now I'm meetin her tonight. You're coming with me!"

Lucy had no idea how to respond. "Natsu…why am I going with you?"

"Ah…hmm I dunno? Cause you're fun to be around? And you owe me for babysittin ya last night!"

Lucy began to blush as she turned away from a giggling Virgo. "Oh-h, well no drinking! I'm gonna call it quits for a while."

Natsu chuckled. "Lucy it's Sunday. We're just gonna go to Fairy Tail and have a burger or something, it'll be fun!" He then yelled out to his sister. "Hold on I gotta run. Six a'clock at FT!"

He hung up his end as Lucy let out a large sigh. "Oh brother…why do _I_ have to go!?"

* * *

As Lucy and Natsu planned out the rest of their day, we also find another phone conversation taking place in the residence of Juvia Lockster.

"Meldy I can't keep doing this! What if Bora finds out!?"

"Juvia who cares!? Bora leaves you alone every other weekend, and you deserve a night out for yourself!" She then laughed. "Besides, it's not like Gray's sleeping with you."

Juvia swallowed a lump in her throat. "Um yes…I guess that _would_ be bad."

Meldy giggled on her end. "So is it just you two? Or is it like a big party or something?"

Juvia looked stressed in her thought. "I think he's bringing friends. He invited that Natsu Dragneel, and…"

" _Oooooh_ Natsu…" Meldy sighed as she remembered seeing him the night before. "He's a hunk! …hehe. Anyway keep going?"

Juvia continued. "Y-yes…well I heard Natsu might bring a friend of his. A girl named Lucy? I believe she's the owner's daughter…"

"JUVIA _SHUT UP!_ " Meldy yelled out loud. "PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOT LYING!"

Juvia stuttered. "U-um...do you know her?"

Meldy started cheering with excitement. "Oooooo! Juvia I'm going to have to make another phone call, but please relax! You're a cute girl, and Gray is one hot guy…if things happen than maybe it's for the best?"

"Yes…" Juvia tried to agree. "But I don't know if…"

"Sooorry, bye!" Meldy hung up the phone and left her poor cousin stranded on the other end.

"Well…hopefully Gray didn't tell any of his teammates about our little night together."

* * *

Now it actually became 6:00 o'clock in the city of Magnolia, and her we find a familiar all-white convertible parking along the curb a few blocks down from Fairy Tail.

Lucy kept the hood rolled up on her car and locked the door as she slowly started walking towards her dinner location, and right away she was feeling very tense about the entire situation. The sun was barely showing, which gave her an excuse to keep her black sunglasses on while she walked down the street.

"I really don't want to do this…but I don't know. I would like to get to know Natsu more…" She then flashed back to the last basketball player she tried to get 'personal' with.

"Eh…let's hope _he_ doesn't want to get to know _me_. Okay here it is." She sighed as she grabbed the door handle and pulled back to open her way inside. Once inside, Lucy looked around for a familiar head of pink hair, and to her luck she found one attached to a smiling boy waving at her from a booth.

"HEY! There you are!" Natsu smiled as he alerted half the bar in the process. Lucy felt her face begin to flush red and ran over very quickly just to shut him up. She went to sit down across from him but he waved his hands.

"No don't sit there! That's for Gray and his chick." He then smiled and scooted over while patting the seat next to him. "Here! Just sit on this side!"

"Erm…okay." Lucy nervously took the advice and sat down right next to him. Immediately afterwards the waitress came over and gave the two a smile.

"Okay, what will _you_ two be having?"

Lucy sighed. "Eh, water for me please."

Natsu laughed. "Really?! Yea make that two!"

The waitress beamed with delight. "Okay I'll be right back with those!" She gave them both another smile and turned to get their drinks.

Lucy then used this time to answer some questions. "Okay, spill it. Why am I here?"

Natsu started playing with the salt and pepper shakers. "Huh? Oh cause Gray is having some girl issues. I figured it would be better for you to come along! Ya know? Help them out a bit!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Natsu you have a sister. And all the cheerleader girls are friends with you aren't they? Hell Cana will do anything just for an excuse to come to a bar on Sunday!"

Natsu delivered a grin. "Eh, I didn't want to invite _them._ I wanted to invite _you!_ "

"Ah…really?" Lucy froze with a nervous pain in her stomach, but before she could actually reply Natsu looked to the door and waved again.

"OY! WE'RE OVER HERE!" Nastu yelled out to his approaching friend.

Gray Fullbuster came over from the door, followed by a very timid girl with bright blue hair and nearly matching eyes. He sat down and greeted his teammate and the daughter of his employer. "Hey Natsu, Lucy. Long time no see." He then looked to his guest. "This is Juvia."

The timid girl remained quiet as Lucy gave her a smile. "Oh hey! I remember seeing you at a Fairies game!" she then regained a larger memory and remembered seeing Juvia with another man. "Oh wait…I think that as you, anyway?"

Juvia looked nervous already. "Um, I don't know what you're talking about. I never really go to…"

Natsu started thumbing through his phone and began to laugh. "Okay yea, so this is the chick you hooked up with!?"

The table fell to a dead silence. Gray started by glaring right at Natsu, Lucy's jaw dropped right down to the table, and Juvia began to shake with pure nerves.

Gray spoke first. "Natsu…why the hell did you have to say that right now?"

Natsu shrugged. "WHAT!? I was reading your message…oh wait the next one says don't tell anyone…hehe sorry about that guys."

Lucy quickly became very uncomfortable, and Juvia went to leave for the bathroom, but Gray grabbed her arm.

"Relax" He reassured Juvia. "If any of my teammates are gonna find out it's probably best if it's Natsu. He doesn't have a judgmental bone in his body."

Lucy then tried to deliver a comforting smile. "Right. And I just met you, so I really have no one to tell!"

Juvia bit her tongue because she knew Lucy was best friends with her cousin Meldy, and Meldy still had no idea. "Very well…you all are right."

Natsu then leaned back and looked to Gray. "Okay then, so why did you ask us out here?"

Gray sighed and looked at Juvia. "I think her…friend…is doing some shady things, but Juvia can't really agree until she sees proof."

Lucy nodded. "Ooohh…well why do you think he's doing…things."

Juvia sat up. "Oh we don't need to go into details…"

Gray was tired of waiting. "He leaves her every other weekend to go on business trips, and nine out of ten times he goes down to Cait Shelter, to visit a friendly co-worker."

"Oooooh." Natsu was catching up. "…is this person a chick?"

Juvia nodded, and Gray spoke next. "She also dated him, and that leaves me with an uncomfortable resolution in mind."

Lucy held her hand up to her mouth. "Wow…I mean is she an executive? Maybe they keep it professional?"

Juvia nodded rapidly. "Yes, she's the branch manager down there. I just assume they have a few meetings and that's it."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Juvia there's more to it than that. Why else would he always go to the same city for every trip? Cait Shelter is big, but it ain't no Hargeon."

"Y-yes…" She tried to agree. "I see what…you…OH WOULD YOU ALL EXCUSE ME!?" Juvia darted up from her seat and ran for the nearest bathroom.

Gray and Natsu slowly blinked and Lucy sighed.

"Ugh…I'll go help her." Angry that she now had to follow a complete stranger into the bathroom, Lucy left to find Juvia.

As a result the waitress came back to find a lone Natsu and Gray.

"Here are you…oh, where did your little girlfriend go?"

Natsu laughed. "Heh, she's in the bathroom. Thanks for the drinks!" He smiled and took the waters.

Gray raised an eyebrow and then realized the waitress was waiting for him. "Oh, yea two more waters, please."

She quickly left Gray and Natsu to their own conversation, and soon after Gray looked to his teammate. "Hold on back up…did she just call Lucy your little _girlfriend_?"

Natsu took a gulp of water. "Yea so?"

Gray's eye twitched again. "And you said 'yes'?! Dude are you two dating!?"

Natsu set down his cup of water and pondered that thought. "Hmm…OH YOU MEAN LIKE AN ACTUAL GIRLFIEND!? Huh? I just thought she meant 'girl-friend'. Weird how she mixed those two up!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Yea… _she_ mixed them up. So I was right after all…this _is_ gonna be one hell of a dinner date."

* * *

 **Oh tease tease tease I am so terrible. We'll get more tomorrow! As always comment and review! :D**

 **[Maybe the last episode of Fairy Tail Zer0 tonight...I am happy to see the Avatar arc but sad to see Mavis go so soon :(]**


	25. 25 - Define Relationship

**Author's Note: Okay...so we're on to 25? I really had no idea how long this story would be when I made the idea, and I still have no idea how much we have left. Um...I graduate on April 30th, so hopefully I'll be done by then? Lol, either way let's forget about the future and look to the now! NEW CHAPTER!**

 **I had to start this one off by addressing a major concern with the last chapter's cliff hanger...why _did_ Juvia run off to the bathroom?"**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail_**

 **...and how amazing was _Fairy Tail Zero!_? Finale? The entire season? Leave your comments either way! Man I haven't enjoyed an episode that much since the end of Tartaros! Now they're on to Avatar [and Lucy comes back this friday! :D ]**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Five - Define _"Relationship"_

* * *

Lucy left for the bathroom to chase down her new, eccentric friend Juvia. As she left Natsu and Gray alone, the blonde quickly walked into the women's restroom to find Juvia standing inside a locked stall. She rolled her eyes immediately because it was very clear Juvia wasn't using the toilet. _"Oh great…I didn't know she was this nuts…"_

She kept that last thought to herself and walked over to try and comfort her new friend. " _Heyyy_ , you doing okay?"

Lucy knocked on the door and waited for a response. Juvia spoke up. "Who's that…? Oh it's you. Um, yes I'm totally fine."

The uncomfortable blonde didn't like the situation and had to quickly leave her comfort zone. "Okay… _I can't believe I'm about to go here with a stranger_ …Juvia you and Gray had a pretty romantic night the other night right?"

"WHY WOULD GRAY TELL _YOU_ THAT!?" Juvia yelled though the crack.

Lucy stepped back. "Um…Natsu just spilled the news a minute ago…remember?"

Juvia sighed. "Oh…right. I apologize…yes, as one might say we had a very, 'intimate' night together."

Lucy held her hand over her eyes. "Right…so did you guys…you know?"

Juvia responded. "YES! Oh yes what are you wasting your time for?! We made _LOVE!_ "

Lucy slammed her head into the door. "Okay…I don't need to know about all the passion and details." She grabbed the bridge of her nose. "Juvia…it's just a little strange that you guys had a "date" a few weeks back, and now all of a sudden you're here running into the bathroom…"

Juvia collected her thoughts. "Beg pardon? I just needed some time to myself…you all were putting me on trial in there…"

Lucy spoke quickly. "Juvia…did Gray...ugh...wear protection?"

Juvia tilted her head. "I don't see why that's any of your business…but yes he did."

Lucy slammed her head back into the door. "So you're not…you know?"

"WHAT!?" Juvia finally threw the door open, all while knocking Lucy onto the ground as she grabbed her by the arms. "OH HEAVENS NO! WHAT KIND OF WOMAN DO YOU THINK I AM!? Oh what would Bora do if he caught me with one of _those_ in my belly!?"

"I don't know…" Lucy brushed the dust off her bottom as she stood up. "…but I'd say it's best if you never find out."

Juvia then began to think of something. "Or actually…that _might_ be a great way to solve my problem!"

"NO NO NO!" Lucy yelled out while grabbing Juvia's arms. "I am NOT instigating _THAT!_ Look…I barely know you and I really have no idea what this Bora guy is like…but I can tell you and Gray seem to get along pretty well."

Juvia looked her new acquaintance right in the eye. "R-really? Yes I do like being around him…but I've been dating Bora for almost 2 years now…we're getting very close as well."

Lucy frowned. "Again I have no place here, but are you that close if you're trying to be with someone else at the same time?"

Juvia slowly nodded. "You're right. I'll just have Gray tell Bora about our night."

"NO JUVIA!" Lucy shook her head. "Ugh…look try just having like a dinner conversation with Bora. If you're not 100% ready to leave him, then see if a night alone will let you reevaluate him."

Juvia paused for a moment and then smiled. "Oh, gee I guess that is a good idea…thank you Lucy." She then followed by reaching out to give Lucy a hug, which made Lucy actually feel slightly warm as she smiled right back.

Juvia carried on. "I'll take your advice. From the sounds of things you seem like a very loose woman yourself, so I'm sure you will be able to help me out."

Lucy's eyes changed from cheery to twitchy, and very angry after hearing that remark. "Wow, thanks…Let's just get back to the dinner…"

Now the two young girls slowly return to their table, but before they made it there, Juvia grabbed Lucy's arm. "So would you like any advice on how to win Natsu over?"

Lucy stuttered in her response. "W-wha? I-I'm not even sure what that means!?"

Juvia gave her another smile. "Oh nonsense, I can tell you're having the same trouble I am! Otherwise why would you show up tonight to have dinner with a stranger?"

Lucy face started turning into that awful shade of embarrassing red. "Yea I tried to keep those thoughts from forming inside my brain…"

Juvia winked and looked to a goofy Nastu laughing in the distance. "Plus I can also see he really likes _you_ in return."

"Really!?" Lucy blurted out. She then covered up her alerted reaction with a fib. "Um…hmm I can't say I see it."

Their conversation ended as they finally arrived to the table, and as they did Gray looked over to Lucy.

"Hey Lucy, I knew you were trying to write, but damn! Natsu just showed me your blog page. That thing's pretty legit!"

The aspiring writer smiled. "Oh you saw my page? Thanks! I put a lot of work into that site, but the traffic really never comes in the end."

Natsu reached over and patted her on the back. "Ah don't worry! I'll win us the championship in March and give ya an interview then! You'll be the biggest name in sports by the time that happens!"

Lucy smiled. "Haha, I think you guys winning would be enough to make me happy. Ever since my dad bought the team I've been waiting to see the Fairies win a trophy."

Juvia nodded. "Yes. That would bring quite the excitement to the town. I imagine the fans would love it too."

As they all enjoyed the conversation the waiters finally reemerged with the drinks. "Here you are!" One smiled with joy. "Now I hate to do this to ya…but our manager said we need to quit giving you Fairy players free meals. So I'm gonna have to charge you tonight."

Natsu waved his hands. "Ah I don't care! Just put it on two tabs instead of four! That is if this loser can cover his end."

Lucy and Juvia nervously bit their tongues from Natsu's suggestion as Gray rolled his eyes. "Yea that's fine by me…I didn't need the loser comment either."

* * *

Now, after a very long and friendly dinner the four guests of the Fairy Tail Tavern were ready to leave. Natsu walked with Lucy back to her parked car as they strolled down the night time street.

"Wow, it normally doesn't get this cold in October." Lucy said with a shiver in her voice as a small but chilly mid-autumn breeze rolled through the air.

Natsu laughed. "Cold? Nah I'm burnin up! See!" He held up his closest hand and placed it on Lucy's cheeks.

The gesture made her laugh. "Wow, no kidding. You feel like a walking heater."

Natsu shrugged. "I guess so!" He then saw that she wasn't lying, and now she was actually shivering a bit.

"Here take this!" He took off his black Fairies sports jacket and put it around her shoulders. Then he laughed again as he grabbed her closest arm and wrapped it up with his. "I'll let ya borrow that til we get to your car."

"O-oh, thanks…" Lucy kept her face turned towards the road to hide her rosy red cheeks. _"Oh-kay where's my stupid car!? I can't keep this conversation going without making a fool of myself!"_

Natsu started laughing again. "Wow, Gray and Juvia are pretty weird right? I'm not even sure what to start calling them!"

Lucy tried to respond normally. "Yea, they do seem to like each other, but then again Juvia has that Bora guy she's dating."

"Right! Eh maybe they'll figure it out soon." He then stayed quiet for a little while after. Lucy didn't like the silence and tried to distract herself from the fact that Natsu was still holding her arm.

"U-um, well now that you mention it…Juvia made this really weird comment about _us_ too."

Natsu turned to look over at her. "She did? No kidding! What'd she have to say!?"

Lucy immediately regretted her choice of topic. "Eh, she was acting kind of weird when she said it, but I don't know…she liked how you paid for my dinner."

Natsu laughed. "Well duh?! I invited you, I'm not makin you pay!" He then started to chuckle like a kid. "Plus either way your dad's the one payin both of us, so in the end he gets to buy."

Lucy laughed. "Yea, well I try not to take that much money from my father…I like to earn it myself."

Natsu smiled. "Oh hey, that's pretty cool actually! You workin' anywhere right now?"

"Eh…" Lucy sighed. "Every time I get accepted somewhere my dad finds out and pulls me from the job...usually while saying I'm too good to work there. Now that I'm 18 I would be able to fight him about it, but I stay pretty busy with school stuff so I don't have time either way. Occasionally I'll help out at the stadium concession stands just to be nice. It's really funny because now they all know me by name instead of just Jude's daughter."

Natsu liked that story. "That's really cool, Lucy. Well hey maybe I'll just have you pay next time!"

Lucy made a double take. "N-next time?"

Natsu nodded rapidly. "Well duh?! I really liked hangin' out with you! And my apartment's getting kind of boring, plus whenever you're over you're usually helping Wendy with some paper or yearbook thing." Lucy had no idea how to respond, and as a result Natsu stopped walking. "Oh here's your car by the way."

Lucy froze for a short second to try and collect everything that just happened. "Okay, well that was a lot…so yea I'm cool if you want to hang out again, b-but you know since you have games this week I totally understand if you can't…"

"OH RIGHT! I'll bring ya back to the tavern after the game tomorrow night! Oh man you're gonna love it, I guess Laxus and Mira always invite you but you never go!"

Lucy had no choice but to nod. "Yea…okay that works." She walked around her car and left Natsu in a puzzled thought.

"Hehe…okay then see ya later I guess!" The confused Point Guard turned and scratched his head as he continued walking down to reach his apartment.

Lucy slowly creeped into her car, shut the door and locked it behind her. She then let out a massive sigh. "I have no idea what to say…" She sat for a rather long pause until a smile crossed her face followed by another blush.

"Well, maybe me asking him to that dance wasn't such a bad idea after all…" She then realized she was still wearing his jacket, which made her stomach flutter with even more emotions. She grabbed the collar and held it up to her nose. It smelled just like his apartment, which made her smile even more.

"Okay, now I guess I _have_ to see him at the next game…after all I'm sure he'll want his jacket back."

* * *

Now, we return to Juvia walking back into her apartment. Gray had walked her down the street, but they noticed Bora's car parked along the curb, and resulted by awkwardly hugging one another and leaving it at that in separate directions.

Juvia's heart was still pounding from her wonderful night with Gray and the others, and she tried to milk the moment as much as she could before entering back into her normal life.

 _"_ _Oh this is so ridiculous…I fell so wrong, but every time I see Gray I just get so excited…I really do like the forbidden element to our relationship."_ She then stopped walking for a moment.

 _"_ _Wait…did I just refer to us as a_ _relationship_ _!?"_ She took a deep breath and kept walking. _"_ _Relax…maybe seeing Bora will shoot me back to reality."_ She slowly opened the door to her apartment where she heard Bora and a female laughing in the kitchen.

"Um…what is this?" Juvia asked herself as she slipped off her shoes and passed through the foyer. As she emerged in the kitchen, Bora and his distant employee Sornao Agria were enjoying a nice bottle of white wine, and as they both saw Juvia their faces lit up with excitement.

"Juvia my darling!" Bora smiled and grabbed a third glass. "Here have a seat. You remember Sornao from work, right? We both have wonderful news!"

"Okay?" Juvia timidly took her seat and slowly accepted the wine.

Bora looked to Sorano. "Okay, since it was your kind gesture I'll go ahead and let you spill the news."

Juvia had forgotten just how unbelievably pretty Sornao was. She was taken away by the white haired woman's face so much that it actually made her tense up in her chair as she waited for the explanation.

"Ah well there really is no need to thank me…" She affirmed with a sly grin. "But Bora here tells me you've been begging him for a nice vacation this coming summer?"

"Oh yes, I may have mentioned it." No. Juvia really wanted the money for her classes more than a vacation now that she wanted to cook.

Sorano rolled her eyes. "Oh come now you don't need to lie to me, darling! I imagine it's probably rather hard to stay here alone while this idiot leaves for our trips. But that leads me into my point. The reason Bora has been making so many trips down to Cait Shelter is because I've been personally holding a very loyal client for him to make a private commission. Normally my employees get the jurisdiction over local customers, but since Bora is the head of the company, and since he was in need of a big sale…I saved this one just for him. As a result, the deal was just finalized yesterday, and Bora…oh you can tell her!"

Juvia snapped her head over to Bora ad he smiled with pride. "I bought a new yacht!"

Juvia sat back in her chair. "Oh, w-wow that is quite the news."

Bora smiled. "Ha, you're speechless! Not to worry I imagined you would be. Yes like you asked last year, I got us a boat we can sail around Fiore next summer! And actually with the big deal signed I can take a break for a week or two as well…I was actually planning for us to take the trip down to Akane tomorrow and spend a week in the warm weather trying out our new toy!"

Juvia's brain was totally broken after hearing all that news. "U-um, you were really looking forward to that Fairy game tomorrow. Remember they play that foreign team in an exhibition match?"

Bora laughed. "Juvia that doesn't matter, it won't count for their record. Plus you're more important than any stupid basketball game!"

"R-really?" Juvia was now more confused than ever. After her conversation with Lucy she was almost sure it was time to end things with Bora, but now that he delivered his promise, she had no idea what to do.

"Um…okay, I have no reason to say no I guess. I'll begin packing tonight."

Bora and Sorano smiled and raised their glasses. "Splendid! Let's have a toast!" They quickly took their drinks as Bora spoke next.

"So where were you tonight, anyway? I was going to take you and Sornao out to dinner to share the news then, but you never showed up?"

Juvia looked guilty. "O-oh Meldy invited me out to dinner with her instead. Actually we saw some players from the Fairies there as well."

Sorano leaned on her arm and smiled. "Oh who did you see? Was that hunk _Jellal_ there…ooh I haven't found time to talk with him since we met last summer…" She was clearly returning to a very comfortable memory as Bora looked over and narrowed his eyes.

"Yea, he's kind of a wash if you ask me…Gajeel and Gray though. They're the future of that team. Isn't that right, Juvia?" He asked his girlfriend but kept his annoyed eyes fixated on Sorano.

Juvia was distracted and snapped her head up after receiving a text from that same player. "O-oh right! They _are_ amazing." She then looked down to read Gray's message.

 **"** **Hey, I guess Natsu just invited Lucy to our team celebration tomorrow at Fairy Tail. Win or lose, we always go and get drunk afterwards…you're welcome to come if Bora's still out of town. I'd feel rude not asking since you're such a big fan of the team."**

Juvia was nervous with the idea of him being so comfortable with showing her off to his friends, but either way it didn't matter since she now had other plans. As Sorano and Bora continued to argue, Juvia found time to sneak a quick text to Gray.

 **"** **Actually…Bora's back in town. He wants me to go on a mini-vacation with him tomorrow…and I said yes."**

It took a very long moment for her to receive a response, but once it came, the sight left Juvia with a hollow heart.

 **"** **Oh…sorry never mind. Have fun with that."**

* * *

 **Hmm...a good bit of stuff happened:**

 **1.) Okay so I guess in the last chapter I left the impression that Juvia was now "prego" after her night with Gray...lol that is SO _FUNNY_ that people came to that conclusion! My audience is more clever than I am apparently, lol. I had fun with it either way.**

 **2.) The _HMS NaLu_ seems like it might actually launch for sailing soon...more than I can say about the real version of NaLu but I'll hold my anger towards Hiro in for another day...**

 **3.) Meanwhile the _SS Gruvia_ hit an iceberg...a very big ass iceberg with purple hair and an obnoxious smile. (AND WTF!? ANGEL/SORANO dated Jellal TOO!?)**

 **New chapter soon! (Also look out for the real FT chapter now as well! I haven't read it yet, but I'll catch up soon!)**

 _ *****EDIT*** So i just read the new manga chapter...guys stop what you're doing and go read it...it's pretty legit this week.**_


	26. 26 - Heads are down, then they're up

**Author's note: Okay, so here's the new one! Stayed up late workin on it. Enjoy!**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Six - Heads are down, then they're up

* * *

"Well folks that'll just about do it here in Magnolia! The Fiore/Bosco classic ends here tonight with the Fairies coming out on top of the away team Ravens. I just hope this 20 point slaughter doesn't insight a riot between the two coaches; after all they do share common blood."

Chapati Lola looked to his assistant commentator as Yajima grinned and replied. "Yes, you are right on that one. This father/son match up really spices up the series. I'm just surprised the Fairies came out on top this year!"

Every year each FBA team holds one game aside for a foreign exhibition match. Most teams try and switch up their opponents, but the Fairies of Magnolia reserve their match up every time for the Ravens of Bosco, whose coach Ivan Dreyar just happens to be the son of Fairies' coach Makarov. Now, this year's game has come to an end, with the home town team emerging victorious. Right after the game, coaches Makarov and Ivan walk to greet each other at the center court.

"Well I'm glad you actually managed to win a game with your team of scrubs, Makarov." Ivan said with a nasally voice as he took his father's hand shake.

"Ivan." Makarov never gave him a smile. After they released hands, Makarov tried turning around, but the son wasn't finished.

"Hmm, that's an interesting sight to behold…am I blind or do I see the famous _Warrod Sequen_ up visiting Jude Heartfilia."

Makarov turned around. "Why does that concern you?"

Ivan grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "It's just an interesting thought. Rumor has it Warrod has been saving money to buy a team, and it would make sense to buy the very franchise he helped create…I mean I know for a fact grandpa Yuri would love to see him own the Fairies."

Makrov sighed after Ivan mentioned his now departed father, and former FBA legend Yuri Dreyar. "Well…perhaps you should leave the concerns to me and my team. Goodnight, Ivan." Makarov then used this moment to leave for the locker room. Ivan meanwhile howled with laughter and looked around to the court. He then landed his eyes on his very own son Laxus, but before he could react, the Magnolia Center rolled his eyes and followed suit with his grandfather and left for the lockers.

Now, we join that very same box seat referenced by Ivan to find the elder Warrod Sequen leaving the care of Jude Heartfilia. "Well now. That was a basketball game! I'd sure love to see this team make it into the big dance. They'd be sure to lose if they could just seal a spot."

Jude nodded, but then collected his thoughts. However before he could respond correctly Warrod let out a howl and patted Jude on the shoulder.

"BAHAHA! Oh I'm only kidding! I really think they'd win it all."

Jude brushed his shoulder after Warrod removed his hand. "Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. They possess the third seed in the east right now, so one could even assume we'll earn home field advantage for the first round."

Warrod raised his cane. "Ah, then it will be on to Crocus! Oh I love the playoffs…oh well, we have several months before then." He then turned and waved goodbye. "I'll send my regards for the next game. Until then."

Jude nodded and re-took his seat as his blonde daughter laughed.

"Gee, you and Mr. Sequen are quite the little BFFs now." She giggled with humor.

Jude didn't even laugh. "Yes, well it is easy for one businessman to befriend another."

Lucy laughed again. "Unless it's that creepy Mard Geer guy…to be honest if I found out he was your friend I'd probably run away from home."

Jude actually did crack a tiny smile at that joke. "Well, you can rest easy knowing that would never happen." Jude then spent the rest of the moment reading through his phone. As a tiny awkward silence passed through the booth, Lucy shifted nervously in her seat to grab her bag and coat quickly in time to leave for her after-game meal with the Fairies.

"Soooo…this was a fun chat. Glad the guys could win! Anyway I'll see you back at home!" Lucy darted up quickly to try and leave, but her father raised his hand.

"Lucy, why don't you sit back down for a moment. I have something I would like to discuss with you."

That wasn't meant to be a question as Lucy slowly back peddled and returned to her seat, with her head hanging low and her arms folded. Jude snapped back to Caprico in the glass booth behind them and then pulled out a letter from his suit coat. "Would you take this down to the home locker room? I believe you know where it needs to be delivered."

Caprico made a quick nod and left without a single word. As he made his leave, Jude put away his phone and kept his eyes down on the court.

"So Lucy, that was quite the little party you hosted Saturday night."

"Agghh…" Lucy's response did not come from the English dictionary, and it more accurately fit the description of a moan or a cry.

Finally, she shut her mouth as Jude continued. "It's quite amusing to hear Natsu calling my butler on my phone in the middle of the night…but what makes me laugh even more is the fact that he thought Caprico _wouldn't_ tell me…"

Lucy lowered her head even more. "So I take it you were the one who called the buses…?"

Jude stood up finally and turned to leave. "Grab your things. I already had Virgo come in by taxi to pick up your car. We can discuss the party in greater detail once we arrive home." He expected her to follow, but stopped to deliver one final word.

"Oh, and don't worry. I already made the effort to contact Natsu. You won't be dining with him this evening…I'll be in my office. "

As he left, Lucy kept her eyes down on the court. Her face was blood red with rage and she was even shaking in her seat.

"Well…the ass needs to realize I'm 18, and I don't need to let him decide my night for me…" She then remembered his earlier note about the party.

 _"But knowing him, he's already got something terrible planned. It'll only be worse if I try to go out…"_

Then, she kicked the seat in front of her, alerting several fans below as she quickly stood up and charged through the exit door.

* * *

Now, we find ourselves down in the same Fairies locker room as Natsu quickly ran in from the court to gather his things.

"Oh man! The guys are gonna want to head right over! I need to shower and change quick before I can get…" He held that thought as he noticed a letter taped to his locker.

"…Lucy?" he finished it as he grabbed the letter. As he opened the note, Natsu widened his eyes in reading its message:

 _Natsu, I thank you for alerting me on my daughter's party the other night, and I also thank you for your added concern on her well-being. However I please ask that in the future you leave her life's matters in my own hands._

 _Also, I regret to inform you that Lucy will not be going out this evening, as she has exams in two of her classes for tomorrow._

 _As always keep up the good work for the franchise._

 _Regards,_

 _Jude Heartfilia_

Natsu took a while to process the entire note before crumbling it up in his hands and tossing it in a nearby trash can.

"What kind of dad lies about his daughter's classes just to keep her from hanging out with friends?" Natsu had asked Lucy earlier that day if she had to skip any school work to join him and the others, but in response she only laughed and said all of her exams were last week.

That really infuriated Natsu, but he wasn't comfortable with trying to confront Jude about it. Even more accurately he wasn't even sure if Jude was still in the building.

In any case he slammed his locker door shut and walked to the showers.

* * *

Eventually, most of the Fairies found themselves gathered together in the usual Fairy Tail Tavern to celebrate the win. Nearly every Fairy in attendance looked happy to be there, with the exception of a few faces.

No one knew why, but Natsu, Gray both sat at the end of a table alone with long faces as the others drank and questioned their friends' woes. Cana shook her head and looked over to Evergreen and Elfman. "Man, we need to buy those two some extra drinks. They're acting like we just lost a championship game or something."

Evergreen agreed while readjusting her glasses for a better view. "No kidding. I wonder why they look so dead?"

Elfman shrugged and took a gulp from his drink. "Beats me, but hey! We can't let them take our spirits down!"

Cana smiled and raised her glass. "Amen to that, brother!"

Gray just looked at the table with a face equal in color with his name. Natsu also looked rather blue but spoke up to comment on Gray's attitude.

"What's the matter loser? You're girl not show up…?" Nastu didn't sound very enthusiastic in delivering his insult.

Gray never moved his head. "Shut up Natsu…you look the same as I do."

Natsu's head hit the table. "Agh screw you…"

As half of the Fairies celebrated the others tried to get a feel for the room's emotion. Mirajane for example would have gotten up to ask Gray and Natsu about their troubles, but instead she chose to focus on her equally stressed boyfriend, Laxus.

"Heyy, what's up?" She asked with nurturing concern. "You're really bringing down the loss!"

Laxus never gave her eye contact. "Eh nothing...just my dead beat dad."

Mira sighed and grabbed his arm. "Oh yea. I thought I saw him trying to shake your hand. Your grandpa didn't look very happy to see him either."

"Mhmm…" Laxus made no comment. In another world he would have actually been happy to see Ivan, but sadly this wasn't one of those worlds.

Ivan used to play in the FBA, and after retiring he joined his father Makarov on the coaching staff back in Magnolia. They had a decent first year, but it was around their first few games as a father-son duo that the Fairies started to fail at winning. Makarov tried to act patient, but year after year the losses tallied up. Finally Ivan had it and tried to act with some "out of game" advantages. He was caught trying to bribe refs on several occasions, and at one moment he was even accused of tampering with away team locker rooms.

In the end the FBA officials finally caught up to his lousy behavior and fired him, but the single thing that angered him the most was the fact that Makarov testified against him in court. Not being able to find a job in Fiore, the Bosco Basketball League was more than happy to bring in a famous FBA player as a new free agent coach, and sooner or later a team found him.

Then, Laxus was drafted to his home town Fairies, and today we sit at the Fairy Tail tavern as the poor son drinks away his shame for his father.

Mira sighed and grabbed his arm. "Please, could you at least cheer up for me? After all Natsu and Gray are bad enough."

Laxus sat up. "Yea, you're right. What's with those two?" He asked with curiosity while looking down at the two sad rookies.

Mira shook her head. "I'm not sure. The only thing I remember is that Natsu originally invited Lucy out to eat with us, but now she's not here."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Agh, you gotta be kidding me. That idiot of all people has girl problems?!"

Mira felt a tear roll down her eyes. "Oh I know it's so heartbreaking! I imagine Gray is having a similar issue as well!" She balled right into Laxus's shirt as he tried reaching for a napkin.

"Oy! Just relax will ya?" He patted her on the back and then looked back to Natsu and Gray.

 _"So…those two idiots need help with some women, huh? Interesting…"_

Now, we find ourselves at another table of four with one more awkward face as Levy McGarden keeps her head hung low. Gajeel shook his head and waved for a waiter to come give him more service. "HEY CAN WE GET THIS CRY BABY A TISSUE OR SOMETHING!?"

Levy shouted out while grabbing his arm. "GAJEEL I'M NOT EVEN CRYING!?"

The black haired Power Forward rolled his eyes. "Alright Short Stuff, then why the long face?!"

Levy sighed and grabbed her drink. "I dunno…I guess it's because you guys played so well, but it didn't even count in the end."

Erza and Jellal sat across from their friends as Erza tried to speak up. "Yes, I agree it is rather hard to swallow. We haven't been performing very well in our actual division games, and we're only holding the third seed in the conference."

Jellal nodded. "Yes, just a few weeks ago we were number 2. We seem to keep slipping down the ranks as weeks go by."

Gajeel slammed his hand down firmly on the table. "Would you morons just shut up!? God you act like we're gonna lose the team if we get another loss! Look, we got a game in Quattro next. Those clowns have a losing record, so it should be pretty easy to get back our winning record."

Levy smiled for the sake of Gajeel. "Yea, I hope you're right…Oh I'd love to shut everyone up with a big push in the playoffs. I can see the headlines now…'Rookie GM and Coaching staff takes the title together!'"

Erza smiled. "It does have a certain ring to it, but I'm afraid Makarov would deserve most of the credit. After all he is the head coach."

Levy laughed and took a sip of her glass. Erza did too but then heard a buzz on the table. She went to reach for what she thought was her phone but actually turned out to be Jellal's hand...hovering over his own phone.

"Oh I'm sorry!" She said with a flustered face. "I thought that was mine..."

Jellal bit his tongue as he tried to slowly move the phone to his lap, but to his dismay he dropped it in the seat.

Levy and Gajeel were too busy enjoying a laugh with one another to see the screen, but Erza got a quick peak at text from a person named "Sorano." The idea of another woman being on his text screen made Erza's skin crawl, and so she decided to remain quiet for the rest of the night as well.

* * *

As an hour or two passed and each Fairy found themselves walking home, Jellal and Erza were walking back to his car arm and arm. The walk was quiet and difficult, and eventually Jellal broke the silence.

"Erza tell me…did you read my phone the other night?"

She stopped the walk and looked down. "Yes…you seemed to have a few texts from girls back in Crocus."

Jellal sighed. "And you probably saw Sornao just texted me back in the bar…I really need to get a new number."

That didn't really make Erza fell any better. "I guess so…why do so many girls seem to have your current one?"

Jellal scratched the back of his head. "Oh I mean it's only like two or three…"

Erza held up her fingers. "Those two from Crocus, this Sornao girl, Jenny from the Acalypha game seemed awfully happy to see you, and Lucy tells me you used to date one of her former teachers?"

Jellal held up a hand. "Okay that one I can explain. We went to college together…she was my first steady relationship."

Erza rolled her eyes. "Well…is that the argument for the other dozen as well?"

Jellal let go of her arm. "Erza…I'm sorry my break from the FBA is starting to catch up to me. I had a couple years to see new places…and meet new people."

Erza gasped. "YOUR FBA BREAK!? You mean to tell me these girls all come from the TWO YEARS _AFTER_ WE ORIGINALLY BROKE UP!?"

Jellal grabbed her hand before she ran away. "Erza wait! Haven't you seen how I react when they text?"

She stood silent as she turned back to see his eyes.

"I…I can't stand it when they text me. Yes, I'd be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed my time with them, but now they truly are a burden. Hell they only wanted me in the first place because I was an FBA all-star…"

Erza kept her face turned away, but felt a bit of guilt cross over her mind as she recalled being one of those "fan girls" back when she first met Jellal in college.

He then brought her closer. "But please, make no mistake…There's a reason I don't respond to them, and it isn't just because they annoy me…it's because they annoy _you_ as well."

That left her confused. "W-what do you mean?"

Jellal looked down as he held Erza in his arms. "Look…I'm not sure how you feel about our relationship now, but I feel happier than ever. I get to enjoy a new town with a new team…and a new partner by my side who thinks just like I do."

Erza blushed but turned her head in a tiny pout. "You don't need to be cheesy, Jellal…"

He smiled and brought her closer. "Why? Do you like it too much?" He then leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips, but in a quick moment she responded by accepting and delivering one in return.

Night time strangers walked by whistling and waving their hands as Jellal and Erza blocked them out. Then, as they ended the moment, Erza smiled.

"How about we get you a _new phone_ tomorrow? But for now let's just go back to my place."

"Sounds good." He turned, grabbed her arm, and started walking once again. "Lead the way, Erza."

* * *

Now, we find Gray sitting all alone with a beer bottle in his hands as he watches the Far West coast FBA games come to an end on his TV. However, instead of actually watching the games, the stubborn small forward stared at his phone waiting for a message to come up that he knew would never emerge.

Time passed throughout the entire fourth quarter, but not once did the phone go off. As a result, he downed the rest of his beer at the buzzer and stood up to throw it away. He left his phone to go crash on his bed, until he heard his phone actually light up with a dim glow and a faint buzz.

Gray slowly walked over, but then heard it ring again, and again, and again, and again, and on and on it went. His heart raced for a tiny second as confusion swept through his mind. "Geeze! What did she do, wreck the boat and text for help?!"

No, she did not.

 **"Heyy sorry for not texting. I've been with Bora all morning. We had a nice flight down, but now things are starting to get boring…"**

 **"Sorry, Bora looked at me. I don't think he likes the idea of seeing me send random texts…I just told him they were to Meldy. ;p"**

 **"Oh the boat looks big, but also scary! I don't think I can do it! I like the water from the beach, but the thought of the open ocean gives me nightmares!"**

 **"I'm really sorry! Signal down here has been sooo bad! Especially on the boat! I hope you're getting all these messages on time and not all at once!"**

 **"Oh Bora asked me to try this really strong drink! I spit it out and now he feels bad…I guess I'll just drink water from here on out to cheer him up?"**

 **"OMG WE SAW A SHARK! It was just as big as the boat! I'm telling him to take me home right away!"**

 **"The sunset down here is beautiful! I wish you could see it…"**

 **"Sorry Bora and I were sailing back into the bay. We talked for a while…"**

Gray didn't like that one. He had a hard time believing they only "talked."

 **"We're back on land! Oh my legs feel so wobbly! I can barely stand!"**

 **"Oh no…I just realized my phone has been on a delay…"**

 **"I'M SOOOOO SOTTY FOR SLL THE TEXTS! I've prbably left you with a heart attack!"**

The typos in her rushed reply made Gray smile.

 **"Okay, Bora and I are going to bed…I'll just stick to sending you two texts tomorrow. Night :)"**

Gray tried to hold in his smile the entire time, but the sheer thought that Juvia spent her whole day out on the warm ocean texting him kind of made him feel...good.

"Heh…ah don't worry Juvia. I'm sure you'll get home safe." He then sent back as simple reply before going to bed.

 **"Haha it's fine. They made me laugh. Night"**

* * *

At the exact same time as Gray decided to head to sleep, we find ourselves back in a similar situation, only this time Natsu is the one watching the end of the west coast basketball game.

"AGH! CALL THE DAMN FOWL EARLIER NEXT TIME! GOD!" He threw his empty can at the TV as Tartaros claimed yet another victory, giving them an undefeated record for the month of October.

"Lousy a-holes…" He began to pout but then stopped as he heard his sister yelling back to him.

"NATSU! CHECK YOUR PHONE!"

He leaned over the couch. "WENDY! KEEP STUDYING!" He had no idea what she was really doing, but it was more than likely texting Romeo. He imagined that Lucy interrupted her to try and get Natsu's attention, because as Natsu followed his sister's advice, he found a new message waiting for him on his screen.

 **"Hey…I'm really sorry about tonight. :( My dad was being ridiculous. He actually tried taking my phone at first, but I quickly reminded him how old I was and had to take it back."**

Natsu howled with laughter as he read Lucy's message. He then replied. **"HA! Glad to see the daddy issues aren't keepin ya down."**

Lucy quickly replied. **"Shut up Natsu…no really I feel awful about bailing on you! Then I found out he had the nerve to send you some letter!? Gods does he think I'm like 10!? Please don't judge me because he's crazy!"**

Natsu laughed again. **"Well I don't blame him! You seem kinda grumpy right now."**

Lucy responded. **"Forget it…you're not helping either."**

Natsu rushed to reply. **"Hey come on I was just tryin to give you a laugh!"** He then sent out his real response.

 **"Listen…let's go somewhere just the two of us this weekend. It sounds like you need time away from your dad anyway. We can find a movie or something!"**

Lucy lingered a little longer in making her next reply.

 **"Yea that sounds nice. :)"**

She then sent back a second message. **"But I'll warn you now…If my dad hears you're taking me out he might send you to a new team. ;)"**

Natsu chuckled. **"Eh, let him. I'll see ya on Saturday. We'll say 7:00?"**

 **"Okay! Sounds like a plan! :D"**

 **"Deal. Night Luce."**

 **"Luce? I see how it is…night Natsu :)"**

Natsu shut off his phone without sending or reading another word. Instead he just sat back and smiled.

"Hah…well hey. She seems pretty stressed out with her dad. Maybe I can try and make it up to her tomorrow!"

* * *

 **That was a long one. I had Jude's letter written in this cool font that looked like handwriting, but this website... I still liked the letter though! Made it more official, and it also brought out the pretentious D-bag resonating inside Jude, mixed with his semi-redeeming protective/caring father side.**

 **Well I hope Jerza can balance things out. Miraxus and GaLe seem pretty stable. We can call them the "normal ones."**

 **Also Gruvia and NaLu had a bit of bounce back. Where will this all go next chapter? TBH I have no idea, that's what makes this story so fun!**

 **As always leave your reviews, and I'll get the next one out eventually!**


	27. 27 - Fun in the Big City

**Author's Note: Okay! I had a weird time dividing this series of scenes up, but I decided on just focusing my efforts on one couple's date day for this chapter. enjoy...**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Seven - Having Fun in the Big City

* * *

It was fairly early in the morning on a weirdly warm Saturday in late October. Lucy was rolling around in her bed sound asleep, and the time was roughly 6:30 AM.

Actually, saying Lucy was sound asleep would be a lie. To be honest Lucy had lost a fair amount of sleep with the thought of her date later that evening. Natsu had planned to take her out to a movie, and although he never really told her about any of his other ideas she couldn't help but smile as she peacefully laid in bed.

"Wow I'm not sure what I could do until the night rolls around. Hmm…I could get caught up on some of my school work…ugh but senioritis is a much better stradegy for that. I could actually start working out with those trainers my dad hired for me? I know I bugged him about trying to work out more, but I really haven't been feeling it lately…and besides, the woman is really mean to me, and she always flirts with the guy that helps her."

Lucy shook her head and rolled back over. "Ya know what, I need to do is just take a nap for the full morning. After all if I fall asleep on Natsu tonight that would be totally embarrassing!"

Lucy was normally fine around boys, but she had never been very good with going on dates. Usually when Lucy tried going out with a guy, either one of two things happened. One; she liked the boy, and became very embarrassed around him, or two; her dad tried to set her up on a blind date and the guy was usually…well let's just say not for her. In any case her father constantly bothered her about her love life and romantic involvements. He's always been very protective, but one boy more than the rest burnt out his fuse several years ago.

"Yea, I better keep my mouth shut if dad asks who I'm seeing tonight. We all know he hates basketball players, and in some cases it sounds like Natsu may remind him of…" She went to continue that thought, but her phone started to buzz from her charger on the bed side stand. Alert like a rabbit in a field of grass, Lucy stuck her head up and quickly grabbed the phone. Sure enough, a swift blush of red crossed her face the moment she saw Natsu texting her.

 **"** **Mornin Lucy! You ready for today!?"**

Lucy scratched her head but smiled anyway. **"Yes! Don't worry I really can't wait to hang out tonight! :)"**

Natsu sent back a quick message. **"Yea let's hope we're out that late! Okay I'll be over ta pick you up in 20!"**

Lucy dropped her phone and sat up. "Wait…what the hell does he mean by 20!?" She turned to look at her clock that read "6:35" in clear green light.

Then, reality hit the fan.

 **"** **NO NO NO! You said** ** _7:00_** **!"**

 **"** **Yea? Earth-Land ta Lucy that's in like 20 minutes!?"**

 **"** **Natsu I thought you meant 7:00 at night! WHO THE HELL GOES OUT AT 7:00 IN THE MORNING!?"**

 **"** **Geeze Lucy I was just tryin ta get the full day with you. We can wait til later if you want…just send me a better time."**

Now she sat back and sighed. **"Natsu…did you plan out a full day of stuff for us to do?"**

 **"** **Kind of? I mean I figured it would be a long day, so we could just let it roll wherever! It's supposed to be like 70 and sunny today too!"**

He then sent back a second text. **"But hey, if you don't wanna go out til night time, just let me know. We can look for a movie then if ya want."**

Lucy was not short to reply. **"No Natsu its fine…I'm just kind of lost that you had a full day planned with me :)"**

Natsu replied. **"Hey, I try. Look, let's just say noon. Sound good?"**

Lucy responded. **"Sounds great :) But let me drive to your place. We can just walk uptown from there."**

* * *

Now that Lucy had more time to prepare for her morning, and to rest a tiny bit longer, it was now closer to noon as the sun shined overhead. Normally it was colder than this in late October, but the warm weather decided to stick around for just a few more weeks. As a result Lucy left her hood down on her white convertible as she blazed down the streets to Nastu's apartment building.

As she quickly parked her car she shut the car lid and locked the door. Once she finished however, Natsu yelled from his window high above the street.

"HEY LUCY! CATCH!" He dropped his house keys down and nearly hit her in the head. Lucy barely moved out of the way before letting them slam into the ground.

"Awe, he could have just gotten me flowers…" She sighed with an annoyed tone in her voice for almost being hit. Then the blond high school senior walked up the stoop and quickly ran for the apartment complex elevator.

Now Lucy found her way up to Natsu and Wendy's room, and once inside she actually managed to run into the younger sister of Natsu's waiting alone in the living room.

"Hey Wendy! Long time no see!" Lucy said with a joke as she came through the door to greet her favorite brother-sister duo.

Wendy smiled as she sat on the couch, still in some sleep ware. "Lucy, I saw you yesterday! Anyway…are you and my brother excited for today?"

Lucy turned her head slightly away from the nosy girl's vision. "If I told you 'yes' would it make you feel better?"

Wendy scratched her head. "I'm not sure? It's actually kinda odd for me…but like in a good way!"

Lucy raised an eye brow. "Yea _that_ makes me feel a whole lot better. So where is Natsu any…?"

"HEY LUCY!" Natsu ran through the hallway and caused her to jump up in fear as he caught her from falling over.

She held her hand up to her chest and sighed. "Natsu…why did you have to try and give me a heart attack?"

Natsu chuckled. "Ah I was just tryin ta get you excited! Come on let's ditch this loser and go have some fun on our own!"

Wendy threw a piece of cereal from her bowel and hit Natsu in the head. "By Lucy...don't let him bully you all day."

Lucy smiled. "Okay, see ya Wendy."

As Nastu shut the door Lucy continued to smile. "Your sister is so adorable. She's like my favorite person at the school, ever."

Nastu grinned. "Hey! She'd be happy ta hear that! Okay so let's go on out to see Magnolia!"

As they finally arrived down on the sunny streets the two young friends began discussing their eventual day in greater length.

"Okay you're the man with the plan." Lucy said sarcastically. "Any ideas for activity number one?"

Natsu shrugged. "Let's go get some lunch! We can look up movie times while we're eating. What are those early shows called, manatees?"

Lucy laughed. " _Matinees_? There just day time movies, Natsu. Unless you actually want to go to the aquarium. I doubt they have any manatees though."

Natsu smiled. "WHOA THERE'S AN AQUARIUM IN TOWN!? Let's do _that_ first!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Natsu, have you really done anything except go to bars since you've moved to Magnolia?"

Natsu shrugged. "Eh, not really no. The bars give players free food and drinks…oh unless you count FBA games! I do go to a lot of those hehe." He jabbed her in the side to try and force the joke.

Lucy had no choice but to smile. "Wow…ya know what? I'm the local here, so let me just show you around…"

And she did just that. Nastu and Lucy first found themselves visiting the Lakeside Magnolia Aquarium first to try and see all the animals on display. They then made a round down in the historic part of town for a nice café lunch and a closer view at one of Magnolia's oldest buildings, the _Kardia Cathedral_.

"Whooaaah!" Natsu looked like a school child as he passed through the large gothic doors. "This place looks like a castle!"

Lucy laughed. "Eh, except for the lack of walls and a keep…this is actually one of the three largest churches in all of Fiore. It's _Zentopian_."

Natsu waved his hands. "Yea yea, I know all about those fancy religious guys from Zentopia. How old is it?"

Lucy smiled with wide eyes. "Oh it's almost seven hundred years old! Actually a lot of the older buildings on this side of town are pretty historic. That's why you don't see any skyscrapers in the district…I'm sorry if this is all boring you, but I just really love history!"

Natsu chuckled. "Eh, the only cathedral I care about is the one called _South Gate Arena_! There's where the real magic happens!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yea? Well last night says otherwise…." They now turned to leave as she looked to Nastu. "You still bummed out about losing to Quattro?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Eh…yea it's still buggin me. Agh we were so close a month ago to securing the league's highest seed, but now we're fourth in the east…"

Lucy looked just as sad until Natsu let out another grin.

"To be honest that's why I was looking forward to today. I needed something to get my mind off last night!"

Lucy softly blushed and smiled as she grabbed his hand. "Nastu that's so sweet…" She then realized what she was doing and quickly let go. "AH! Oh I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean it like that! I was just trying to cheer you up!"

Her crazy fit made him laugh even more. "Hey Lucy you can relax. I'll hold your hand if ya want." Without actually asking he went ahead and grabbed it again. Lucy's face was now glowing brighter with each second as her stomach lifted inside her.

"Oh okay then…" She had no choice but to reveal her bright smile as they continued on with their day in the sun. After a walk through the tiny but adorable garment district, and then another stroll down by the Central River, It was now getting late once again.

Natsu held out his phone and swiped through movie times at all the in-town theaters. "Hmm…well that one you were wanting to see doesn't start up again til 8:00, unless you wanna go all the way across town."

Lucy sighed. "Eh, we can just wait til 8:00. Unless you want to see another movie that is." She reminded herself that she really didn't pick the movie because of the title, she picked one because of the _length_ (her choice was the longest...)

Natsu grinned and waved his hand. "Anh I don't care at all! Actually it's almost six, so let's go ahead and find a…hold on is that who I think it is?"

Natsu and Lucy looked ahead as they passed back though the business district of down town Magnolia. There they spotted a very familiar pair from the team with red and blue hair walking along the other side of the road.

"OY!" Natsu shouted through a crowd of people and drug Lucy behind him as he yelled across the street. "JELLAL! IT'S NATSU!"

Jellal twitched his head at the sound of the familiar voice and sighed as soon as he recognized it. "Oh god…"

Erza on the other hand ignored Jellal and waved over to her friend. "Well hello Natsu! Lucy!"

Lucy awkwardly waved back. "Ehehehe…hey Erza! Sorry Natsu's trying to bother you guys…" she couldn't finish her apology as Natsu picked her up and began carrying her across the street though traffic.

"AHHH!" Lucy yelled out as she smacked Natsu on the back. "PUT ME DOWN YOU LUNATIC!"

Natsu laughed the whole way before finally setting her down next to Erza and Jellal. He went to speak but Jellal grabbed Erza's hand. "Lucy, Natsu. I'd hate to interrupt your evening. Erza and I can leave if you'd…"

"Quit being rude." Erza smacked him on the arm like a mother with her child, and then smiled to the other couple. "Apologies. We were just enjoying the afternoon together. Jellal had to buy a new phone, but it took us a while to find one that fit his liking."

Natsu laughed. "Oh cool! You like it?"

Jellal never gave him eye contact. "Eh, let's just say I'm happy to retire my old number…some very annoying people kept trying to contact me, and it just feels good to have a new one."

Lucy gave them a smile. "Oh well I'm happy that worked out. I'm really sorry Natsu and I barged over here interrupting your date. If you'd like we can actually…"

Then, just like Jellal, Lucy was interrupted by both Natsu and Erza.

"Relax! We were just going to dinner." They said in unison as Natsu's eyes grew larger.

"NO WAY! WHOA LET'S JUST GO TOGETHER!"

Erza nodded. "Actually that sounds like a splendid idea. We've been dining with Gajeel and Levy for a while. A change in company might make things more enjoyable."

Jellal shook his head. Ever since Natsu and Lucy came over, he couldn't help but notice Lucy looked rather uncomfortable with the situation. "I'd love to Natsu, but I'm not sure Lucy is content with the idea…"

Lucy yelled out in a quick response. "No! Ah…hehe I'm fine with it, really! I was just worried we were bothering you guys. If we're all cool with eating together though…let's go get some dinner?"

* * *

Now we find the double couple enjoying the middle of their afternoon meal at a very high end restaurant. Erza and Natsu had taken half the table to discuss the break down from last night's awful perforce, and now they were arguing on who was responsible for losing the game.

"NO! WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS GRAY WAS WAAAY TO SLOW! He and Gajeel couldn't even keep up with Bacchus the entire night!"

Erza shook her head and grabbed the salt and pepper shaker to readjust the fake court she built out of other utensils on the table. "Natsu that was irrelevant! Bacchus only had 15 points the entire night! Their perimeter shooting was the key to their victory, which was given to them by you and Jellal providing terrible defense."

"TERRIBLE DEFENSE!? LOOK I DON'T PAY YOU TO MOCK MY GAME PLAY, LADY!"

"NATSU, YOU DON'T PAY ME AT ALL!"

The two children continued to argue as Jellal and Lucy sipped on their drinks at the other side of the round table.

"So…" Lucy laughed. "You gonna let her talk about your defense like that?"

Jellal smiled. "I suppose so. She knows the game better than I do, anyway."

Lucy leaned on her hands. "Awe. That's so nice of you to admit! You two really are perfect for each other ya know?"

Jellal raised a glass. "Yes I would have to agree…I could say the same thing about you and Nastu."

"Huh?" Lucy looked flustered as she turned back to see Natsu and Erza yelling into each other's faces "Ahehe…well I guess I take that as a compliment."

Jellal sighed. "Lucy, I apologize if we ruined any of your plans this evening. You appeared to be in the middle of a… _friendly get together_. I would hate to hear that we were a burden on you and Natsu."

Lucy held up her hands. "NO NO NO! You guys are wonderful! I really loved the idea of eating with you guys…it's just…Eh first dates, ya know?"

Jellal raised an eyebrow and took another sip of his glass. "Ah, I'm proud to see you're comfortable using _that_ word."

Lucy fell down into her seat and sighed. "Yea…I probably need to just keep my mouth shut."

Jellal laughed and then leaned over to whisper under Erza and Natsu's yelling. "You have nothing to worry about, Lucy. From what I can tell you're both just being yourselves. That alone is a good sign for enjoyable moments to come."

Lucy's face turned red as she looked to her older friend with bright blue hair. "Really?"

Jellal nodded and looked to see the food arrive. "Now, let's get this very loud dinner over with together, shall we?"

After a very filling meal, more arguing and debating, and finally finishing the checks, the four couples finally found themselves out the door and on the street once again.

"Okay Erza, what's say we settle this first thing tomorrow morning! You and me! South Gate arena! I'll call gramps to ref it!"

Erza smiled with pride and crossed her arms. "Natsu, I accept your feeble challenge graciously. I just hope you're not as lazy in tomorrow's challenge as you were with…" She went to continue throwing insults until Jellal grabbed her hand and started dragging her away.

"Natsu, Lucy. Tonight was a fun evening. Let's do it again sometime!" Jellal smiled as Erza looked confused, and in the end the two elder friends walked off further down the street.

"Huh? …that was weird." Natsu was left standing with Lucy as he began scratching his head, until he looked down to the clock on his phone. "OH CRAP! It's passed 8:00!" He grabbed Lucy's hand and tried to locate the nearest movie theater on his phone.

"Natsu relax!" Lucy slowed him down and sighed with a smile. "It's okay…so we missed the movie. Dinner was…eh fun? I guess."

Natsu smiled with pride. "Yea I had a great time too! Erza is quite the debater! Can't wait to smoke her in tomorrow's scrimmage!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yea? Something tells me she's gonna cancel before the night is over."

Natsu looked down. "Really? Yea, you're probably right. She'd be too chicken to show up anyway." He then continued walking as he grabbed her hand once again. "Okay, so now we have no movie, and I have no early scrimmage tomorrow! Any more bright ideas?"

"Um…none that I can think of." She tried her hardest to make up for the very long movie she had planned to watch with Natsu, but nothing she could imagine did the trick. She didn't want the day with Nastu to come to an end so early. She had totally forgotten to find an excuse to tell her dad, but more importantly she really enjoyed being around Natsu.

As a result she simply sighed and leaned on his shoulder. "Eh I wish my dad was out of town again. Then I could just go ahead on home and sleep in peace. I have no idea what to tell him about tonight."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yea that really bugs me how he treated you the other night. Hmm…I know! Why don't you just spend the night at my place?!"

"Erm…" Lucy had already stayed there multiple times, but for some reason this suggestion felt a bit different to her. "Yea I could at least see Wendy again before the night is…"

"Oh sorry Wendy texted me during dinner. She's at Sherria's place. Hey it'll just be me and you then!"

Lucy's heart started to beat faster and faster. She hadn't slept alone at a boy's house for a few years, and that was still someone she met at Magnolia University. This was a boy who had his own place… _and_ his own thoughts.

"Gee…I'm not sure." Her mind first went to her father. "Ya know what…why don't we just call it a night. The day was pretty fun, but now I'm getting kind of sleepy."

Natsu shook his head. "Okay Lucy, I see how it is…come on let's go."

As they walked down several blocks they finally arrived to Lucy's car parked right in front of Natsu's building.

"Okay! If you wanna end the night I guess this is goodbye!" Natsu continued to tease her as she looked very guilty for trying to leave.

"Natsu…I'm just trying to think about my dad." She leaned in and gave him a great big hug. "Thank you so much for the day, though. I had a really good time."

"Lucy, I need to thank _you!_ " He smiled to her gesture. "After all, you knew more about the places we went to than I did!"

Lucy released the hug and sighed. "Eh, I suppose you're right…okay I'll see you around?"

They lingered there as a very blank Natsu just gave her a simple smile back. "Yea I guess so! Hehe…" Then he turned around and walked up to his apartment door, but as Natsu made it to his door he tugged on the locked handle.

"Oh right!" Lucy snapped her fingers. "You tried killing me with your keys today." She pulled them out and ran up the stoop. "Here ya go!"

"Oh thanks! Glad ya didn't drive off yet!" Natsu turned to grab them, but as he did he caught a sight under the lamp light that he had apparently missed all day.

Lucy's very pretty face smiling right back at him.

No, this is not saying he ignored her during the entire duration of their date. However since Lucy took him around to see a new side of town, he spent most of the time sightseeing and gawking at all the new and exciting sights in Magnolia. As a result, the sight he found when he looked down at a smiling Lucy made him freeze for a moment. The lighting matched her hair very well. And her eyes reminded him of the very first time they met at the FBA draft.

Now feeling like an awkward Lucy, _Natsu_ was the one who tried shifting the conversation in _his_ favor for once. Just like Lucy moments before, he all of a sudden wasn't ready to see the night end just yet.

"Oh-kay…well hey just let me know if you wanna hang out again. I really did like seein' ya today." He reached out to grab his keys, but then realized he didn't want to let go of her hand. Lucy froze in place as red started to creep up her neck.

"Hehe…there are your keys Natsu." Although him grabbing her hand weirded the blonde out, she apparently wasn't trying to let go either.

He laughed for a little bit and leaned in a little closer. "Yea…I see 'em."

As he became lost in the moment, Natsu leaned in closer and closer, and the weirder thing was…so did Lucy.

The two young friends kept leaning in closer and closer under the lamp light, inches away from each other's nervous faces.

* * *

 **AGHHHHHHH! THE AUTHOR'S GONNA BE AN ASSH*LE! God why did I do that!?**

 **Okay, we'll break this cliff hanger next chapter, and I'll also throw in some GaLe, and Gruvia too (maybe more Jerza?) If you aren't completely pissed off at me after today, then stick around for the next chapter!**


	28. 28 - True Intentions Revealed

**Author's Note: Okay I imagine all of you are going to skip the opening note just to get caught back up with the cliff hanger, so I can probably just say anything I want...**

 **"FAIRY TAIL IS THE WORST ANIME EVER!" "I LIKE FOOTBALL WAY BETTER THAN SOCCER!" TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT 2016!"**

 **...yea don't worry. Those were all lies, but if you did try to look past those horrible statements, please enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

 _ *****NO JOKE*** This story is once again only rated T for Teen, but this chapter has some "suggestive" content in it today. Younger viewers proceed with caution.**_

* * *

Chapter Twenty Eight - True Intentions Revealed

* * *

 _*BUZZZ*_

Natsu and Lucy were close enough to feel each other's breaths on their faces until a phone started ringing in one of their pockets.

…It was Natsu's

"Agh what the crap is this?" Natsu roared with anger assuming it was most likely Wendy with an urgent issue. Meanwhile Lucy backed away with a look of embarrassment as she began twirlling her pigtailed hair. She turned to leave until Natsu answered the call.

He never even bothered to look at the number. "Ya hello?"

"Natsu? …this is Jude Heartfilia, your team owner?"

Natsu's eyes widened as he looked right at Lucy. She could tell by his eyes who was on the other line, but couldn't say a word as the pink haired moron chose to carry on. "Um…hey man. What's goin on!?"

Jude held the phone on his end away from his ear to try and collect Natsu's dialect. He then shook his head and returned to the conversation. "Well, I am quit restless actually. I need to ask if you have seen my daughter today? After all, I know Lucy is very good friends with you and your younger sister."

Natsu turned back to Lucy, who could barely hear her father's words and now was holding up a prayer sign with her hands while frantically shaking her head.

Natsu scratched his head as he tried to decipher Lucy's coded hand gestures. "Agh…I dunno have you checked a _church_?"

Lucy smacked the idiot right on the back of his head for the ridiculous interpretation of her motions.

Jude acted puzzled. "Beg pardon, Natsu?"

Natsu laughed. "Ahahaha never mind. Jude I'm not gonna lie, I haven't seen her all week."

Jude sighed. "Yes, well I'm not sure whether that comforts me or not. I will thank you for picking up the phone so quickly though. I've tried calling Lucy myself but it seems she doesn't have her phone on her…"

Lucy was now looking at her phone and found six missed calls from her father. She then sat away from Natsu as she crouched down by her car in a curled up ball, head leaning against the door as she swayed back and forth in her pathetic fetal position.

Natsu waved at her before he started laughing. "Yea well between you and me I think that letter ya sent me scared her away. Looks like we mighta straightened her out together!"

Lucy had failed to give Natsu his keys back before now, but just then she chose to use the opportunity to chuck them right at his chest. He yelled in pain away from the mic to try and hide the sound, but Jude talked through it none the less.

"Hmm…that is a very interesting way to put it, I suppose. I am going to be honest with you, Natsu. I appreciate your work for the franchise, and I also admire the relationship that you have formed with my daughter…but I must say Lucy has had some very rough experiences with past basketball players before. It just scares me to see her jumping into that sort of relationship all over again."

Natsu smiled. "Hey, I know how ya feel. I try lookin' out for Wendy more than I should be. But, she's learning too, so sometimes I just have to let her do her thing."

"Yes…" Jude paused for a moment. "I must say you are far more mature than I expected, Natsu."

Natsu was very proud and now leaned up against the wall with a cocky attitude. "Well ya know I do my best. You're not so bad yourself!"

Jude let out a very tiny but honest chuckle. "Hmm…well I must be going. Hopefully wherever she is, Lucy will be on her way home as soon as possible. Until then, keep up the hard work."

"Hey no problem!" Natsu howled. "Get a good night's sleep just for me, man!"

Jude hung up without hearing the last comment, and after the conversation Nastu fell over on the ground howling with laughter. "BAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man forget you, Lucy! I think I'm gonna take your dad out on the next date!"

"Grrr…I DON'T NEED THE SARCASM, _NATSU!_ " She yelled from the other side of the car as she quickly got in and slammed the door shut. Powering on the engine and lights to her closed white convertible, Lucy burnt out in her exit and flew down the street to beat the clock and make it home before her dad started asking anymore questions.

"Ah Lucy…so funny." Natsu quelled his laughing and took a breath as he watched her drive by. He would have continued laughing, but he actually caught her perfume lingering in the air, which made his heart feel a bit warmer than it should have.

"Mgh…I better just call it a night myself. My head is starting to hurt…"

* * *

Now, we relocate to a nearby apartment in the same building. Here, Gray Fullbuster finishes a small home cooked meal late in the evening as he sits in his roomy kitchen.

"Damn. I dunno if Juvia and I will ever work out, but one thing's for sure…I gotta find me a girl who can cook." He was barely able to enjoy his half frozen meal before finally finishing it with a glass of water. Now he went to relocate to the couch.

"Hmm, there might be a Saturday night classic on tonight. Tartaros vs Sabertooth?" He scratched his head and looked for the remote for a short while, until something distracted his thoughts.

 _*KNOCK*_

Gray's head shot up as he heard a tiny fist slamming on his front door. He raised an eyebrow and slowly walked towards it to see who it was. As he finally passed through his tiny foyer, the Small Forward opened the entrance to find no one but Juvia standing there alone.

As he originally opened the door, Juvia's expression appeared to be plain, but once she noticed Gray opening the door without a shirt, her cheeks flared with red. "Oh dear…and I debated whether or not to come over." She smiled as Gray scratched his head.

" _Juvia?_ But I thought you were still in Akane?"

The blue haired beauty smiled. "We got back yesterday…Bora has food poisoning. One moment we're eating a meal on the plane, and the next moment he's back in the plane bathroom vomiting up his lunch."

That didn't help Gray with his confusion. "So what you're not gonna take care of him?"

Juvia pleaded. "I did all morning and day! But he told me to get out for the night. He didn't want me getting sick with him."

Gray shook his head and smiled. "Okay genius, where did you tell him you were spending the night?"

Juvia sighed. "Meldy's…though now I am really regretting that. She still lives with her parents since she's in high school…oh I should have just told them I was at her sister Ultears!?"

Gray leaned over and calmed her down. "Hey relax! He's probably a sleep now if he's as sick as you say…why don't ya just come on in and tell me about your trip?"

Juvia liked the comfort of his arms and smiled. "R-right. I can just sleep here tonight." She remembered never actually asking him, but after being brought inside she went ahead and made the assumption herself.

"Yea…" Gray sighed and shut the door. "I guess that's what I meant…but hey if Bora goes snooping around you're outta here!"

Juvia shrugged and kept a hold of his arm. "True, but it's like you implied. If he's _really_ as sick as I say…we won't need to worry about it."

Gray liked this new sarcastic side of Juvia and shrugged. "Okay, what the hell?" He then re-grabbed the remote from the top of the couch. "So I was just watching an FBA game that was about to come on. I think it's going to be a pretty sweet match up…"

He went to continue, but Juvia put her finger up to his lips. She had this new look in her eye and took the remote out of his hands, turned off the tv, threw it back on the couch and quickly draped her arms around Gray's bare shoulders.

"You asked about the trip…but to be honest the only thing I was thinking of the entire time was you."

Gray rapidly shook his head as Juvia smiled with a seductive look in her eye. "Whoa I'm not sure this is a good night, Juvia. I mean Bora's sick so it might be kinda awkward for me to…"

Juvia leaned up and planted her lips right on his. As they held the kiss out for a long time, Juvia finally pulled back.

"Gray I wasn't joking. I tried to enjoy Bora for the first half of the week, but after a while I just faked the smiles and jokes. I even stopped texting you because I wanted our reunion to be even better!" She now began to outline his dark blue Fairy tattoo on his right pectoral with a graze of her finger.

Gray tried to back away. "Listen I really like the support, and don't get me wrong…this _isn't_ easy for me." He said as he looked down at her _very_ curvaceous body. "B-But this is starting to get really dangerous on my end."

Juvia smiled and leaned closer. "Well I'll just sleep on the couch then. If you _really_ want me too…after all I can't go back to Bora's, right?"

Gray let go and turned away. "Okay you do you, just don't bother me while I'm…"

"Oh darn…" Juvia sighed as Gray walked away. "I seem to have forgotten a change of clothes. Oh well I suppose _these_ will have to do."

Gray rolled his eyes but never found enough time to fully look away as Juvia slowly started taking off her shirt top, and followed by lowering her slim fit jeans down to her ankles, leaving her in nothing but two matching pieces of _very_ revealing black lace lingerie.

Gray now stood with a twitch in his eye, and a tiny chill crept over his bare upper half. He then did a double take towards the couch and laughed. "Well damn…I just remembered I have no extra blankets for the couch."

Juvia smiled and ran right into his arms, and they slowly began to back pedal into his narrow bedroom hallway, banging into the wall as they held each other tightly in their embrace.

* * *

Now as the next day slowly rolled around, it was already Sunday morning. Here, we find a different couple enjoying their morning routine as Levy McGarden warms up her morning bath. The petite blue haired girl sighed with a comforted relief as she slowly stepped into her shower and closed the curtains behind her. As she let the water rinse through her hair she smiled with the warmth of the air, until her bathroom door swung back open.

"GAJEEL!?" Levy yelled as she took part of the curtain and continued covering up her already blocked body, and then stuck her face out to see her intruder.

Gajeel was wearing nothing but black boxers and a scowl as he began brushing his teeth. "WATH THE MAGHER SQWIRTH?! I GOTTA WORTHOUTH IN A HOUHR, ANHD I DON'TH WANNA BE LATHE!"

Levy sighed as she waited for him to spit out the tooth paste. "Why couldn't you just wait for me to get out of the bathroom first?"

Gajeel laughed. "HA! You weren't weirded out last night when I saw ya naked! Why the big deal all of a sudden?"

Levy threw a bottle of shampoo right at his head. "WOULD YOU STOP!? Ugh…"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Look are you still mad about Friday night? You've been really up my ass the entire weekend. Hell ya even canceled on Jellal and Erza last night! The poor bastards got stuck eating with Salamander instead…"

Levy went back into the full shower. She remembered having to step up for her press conference after Friday's loss vs Quattro, and as reporters started nailing her with hard questions, Gajeel walked in front of all the cameras and dragged her off the set.

Levy's face hit the wall of the shower. "Jude called me into his office today, ya know? He's gonna ask why I was being so rude to all the press reporters."

"Ah who cares about that stiff? Now let me in there! I gotta leave soon!" Gajeel laughed and took off his boxers. He then ran over and climbed into the shower with Levy.

"GAJEEL JUST WAIT TIL I'M DONE!"

* * *

After a very long and stressful morning with her new partner, Levy finally made it to Jude Heartfilia's office. There she sat with tired eyes as Makarov, Erza and Jude joined her in a mini-meeting.

"Ms. McGarden, do you understand now why that was a foolish mistake?" Jude said with scornful eyes as he began scolding his very young team general manager on her overly emotional press conference from two nights before.

Levy sighed with her head hanging low. "Agh…yes sir. Don't worry, it's won't happen again."

Jude continued reading papers. "Good. Now listen…next time you wish to ignore the reporters, just sit there and repeat a single answer."

Levy looked up. "W-wha? Does that really work?"

Jude lowered his papers and gave her a tiny grin. "Come now, I've been in this business for well over a decade, dear. If they bother you again after a loss, just tell them something like…oh I don't know 'We'll look to improve our efforts for the next game.'"

Levy lit up with a beam. "Wow, I guess I'll try that out. Thanks Jude!"

"Mhmm." Jude nodded and kept reading his papers. This allowed Makarov to finally lay a report on the desk.

"Well there's November's practice schedule for ya. It's a pretty dead month for any non-basketball activities so I went ahead and booked as many nights as I could."

Jude nodded again. "Yes thank you, Makarov. I'll review it later."

As Makarov nodded in return, Erza made one more comment. "Oh I ran into your daughter last night, sir. She seemed to be in a wonderful mood."

"Really?" Jude put his papers down. "Hmm, she came home smiling, but went straight to bed. I couldn't even get her to say a single word."

Makarov and Levy both snapped their views to Erza, who simply shrugged. "Well Jellal and I found her and _Natsu_ enjoying the day together. I must say they've blossomed into quit the couple!"

The room fell silent as Levy and Makarov held their breaths. Then, they both slowly moved for the door as Erza was left with a quizzical look on her face.

Finally, Jude set his papers completely down and gave the red-head his full attention.

"Ah...You mean to say she went on a date with _Natsu_ last night?"

Erza stuttered. "O-oh, well I heard they were actually out all day…on second thought my memory is going a bit hazy…"

Makarov rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the arm. Then he, Erza and Levy tried to make a leave, but before he could Jude left him with one final thought.

"Makarov…before tomorrow's practice, send Natsu to my office. I need to have a word with him."

* * *

Now, we find ourselves back across town, still in mid-morning. Here we are inside Juvia's apartment, but in reality Juvia is still at Gray's

Instead, we actually come to find Bora lying comfortably underneath his king-sized white sheets as he started diving deep into a heated conversation on the phone.

"I have no idea, Medly. She told me she would be at your place…I tried Ultear, but she gave me a flat no…Alright. I'll try her cell." Bora angrily hung up the phone and then twitched while he tried to readjust his body.

"You could have at least _stoooped_ …while I was on the phone with her damned cousin!" Bora yelled with an awkward pause in his voice.

His sheets ruffled until a white haired beauty emerged beside him with a grin on her face. "Oh I'm so sorry you were enjoying yourself too much. I can just leave you by yourself next time."

Bora shook his head and placed his arm around Sorano's nude shoulders. "No please…you're keeping me comfortable during my _sick_ day."

Sorano rolled her eyes and pulled out a cigarette for herself. She quickly lit it and looked back to Bora. "So…you any closer to solving the little _problem_?"

Bora scowled. "Eh no. I figured the boat would drop her to her knees, but no she still acted weird during the second half of the trip."

Sorano laughed. "Well ya better hurry… that _immigration office_ wasn't very patient with me, and they sure as hell won't continue waiting for you…"

It turns out that Bora and Sorano are not natives to the Country of Fiore. In reality, they are immigrants from the friendly neighboring country of Bosco (Think the United States and Canada for safe measuring.) They ventured into Fiore to pursue an easier life in business with cheaper costs of property rates, and a better economy, but now the life of illegal immigration was catching up to them rather quickly.

Bora sighed. "Whatever…if those asses made the process to citizenship easier I wouldn't be in this mess…" He was only half right on who was really to blame. Bora was known for some very shady deals back in Bosco, and with a bad track record the immigration offices of Fiore would not act kindly to him just waltzing on in to become their citizen.

However, his partner in crime Sorano found herself a loophole in her own transfer. "Bora just propose and put the ring on the broad! God I don't know why it's so hard!? My idiot husband begged me to enter his life…and look how legal I am now!"

She winked with a cute eye as her partner rolled his. "Agh…it's not that easy. Juvia's the only girl stupid enough not to ask me about my… _past_. I need to make this work before she finds out. Once it's done I'll drop her, but for now I need to play smart."

Sorano puffed on her cigarette. "Then just make it romantic. I know! You found out she's been taking those cooking classes! Once you propose, offer to buy her a restaurant, or let her take real classes instead of those fake online ones."

Bora scratched his head. "Sorano that costs me money…and we both know that's what got us in this mess in the first place."

Sornao grinned. " _Exactly_. Date her, bait her…and poof! Take it all back!"

Bora looked uneasy with that idea. Sorano made it sound so easy, but even if he went in without any feelings, he still held a tiny bit of affection for Juvia at this moment in time.

"I don't…wait. I have the perfect idea!" He smiled and grabbed his phone.

Sornao rolled her eyes. "Oh what is it now? You going get the two of you booked for some reality game show?"

Bora smiled and dialed the number for stadium assistance at the _South Gate Arena,_ and then turned to deliver a grin. "No…but you know about the _FBA kissing cams_ , don't you?"

* * *

 **Whokay...let's recap that stuff...**

 **1.) NaLu is still very tense...okay as readers please accept where each couple is at currently in the story. Not counting Rowen...remember that NaLu is collectively the youngest couple (Lucy's still in high school for god's sake), so they will naturally develop slower. Also remember NaLu and Gruvia are more of the main character ships, so they may end up getting a teensy bit more screen time that the others (sort of like FT in real life.)**

 **2.) Moving on...Juvia seems to have some pent up _sensual_ frustration. I wonder why? I be we'll find out in more detail later on...**

 **3.) Gajeel and Levy are now very close, but he needs to watch messing with her life as a GM, she almost got in trouble!**

 **4.) Nice going Erza...ruining the party for everyone.**

 **5.) Okay...this section was probably a little bomb of anger for all of us, lol. I hate rom-coms (cuz I'm a dude), but has anyone seen that Ryan Reynolds/Sandra Bullock movie about the marriage and she's from Canada or whatever? That was a very very loose inspiration for Bora and Sornao's ordeal. They need some help...and now we know Bora has been "tricking" Juvia into a relationship. Now what will he do next? Eh we'll find out later!**

 **Okay guys let me know what you thought about the last few chapters! I feel like they were very heavy, so hopefully you enjoyed!**


	29. 29 - Not-so-silly distractions

**Author's Note: Okay...sneak chapter today! Hehe, it's been a little while, and I'm sorry for the wait! I had a...very interesting weekend.**

 **1.) So I'm not sure how many _Fairy Tail anime_ fans we have out there reading this story, but they just hit the Avatar arc this passed Friday...next week's episode looks pretty good, but the one after that...eh I'd rather not talk about it haha. It's a very poopy subject... :/**

 **2.) In other news it was really cold this weekend, so I didn't really venture outside much. However, thanks to a good friend I was steered into watching the anime series _Sword Art Online_. I binged the first 25 eps in less than 2 days, lol. It was ...a very fascinating series to say the least (wow those first fifteen episodes), and I'm definitely not done.**

 **Okay, well it's been a while so I figured why not vent about some thoughts. Anyway here's your chapter! :D**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Nine - Not-So-Silly Distractions

* * *

"Okay boys! Time to make up for that crap we pulled on Friday night!"

Natsu Dragneel tried to fire up his Fairy teammates as they sat in their pre-game ceremony inside the South Gate Arena. The stadium was packed and fans from all over the town made sure to stop by for this exciting match up.

Looking for revenge from their week 2 loss to Magnolia, the Seis of Cait Shelter have come to town with eyes of passion and furry in their veins. The crowd also recognized this as the first team Magnolia beat this season, so with high expectations to force a repeat win, the fans entered the arena with smiles and cheers galore.

As Natsu began dancing around the team huddle, Gajeel quickly leaned in to slap him right upside the head. "Knock it off moron! You're makin us look like idiots!"

"HEY! I WAS TRYIN TA GET YOU ALL READY FOR THE GAME!" Natsu stepped up with an equal amount of tenacity. "I figured everyone could use a good laugh so I tried to deliver one."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Yea? Well with moves like that I'm actually surprised none of us did laugh."

Natsu went to smack Gray but Laxus spoke up with a grin. "Hey Natsu. I don't see your little girl friend here tonight." He then looked back up to Jude's private box, which didn't even hold the billionaire Heartfilia himself.

Laxus then scratched his head as he just looked to GM Levy McGarden and super fan and former player Warrod Sequen. "Now that I think about it…I wonder where Ol' Heartfilia is?"

"Yea…she's got some college visit with her dad." Natsu chuckled and slowly tried to fight his way out of the huddle until Laxus grabbed his shoulder.

"Ya don't say? Hmm, that's kinda odd." Laxus pondered that thought even more. "Normally Jude only lets his _business life_ steal time away from the team, not to mention Lucy rarely misses home games herself."

Natsu tensed up under Laxus's grip. "Y-yea? Well hey looks like they just needed a little trip out of town…

"Hmm…" Laxus grunted and let go of Natsu. He then looked right at Gray and sighed. "And you. What the hell is all this crap I'm hearing about _your_ little friend?"

Gray joined Natsu on the bench as he tried ignoring Laxus too. "Ah man…it's really nothing." He then looked to the usual crowd around the front row where a smiling Bora had his arm around a very quiet Juvia in the distance of his vision.

Laxus rolled his eyes and looked at all his team members in full. "Alright guys, well we're starting to get pretty deep into the season, so much so we're getting into most of the rematches. Do me a favor…let your off court shit wait around in the locker room."

He then set down his water bottle and turned for the national anthem. The entire team gulped, with the exception of an annoyed Gajeel, and they all slowly stood up and joined their forceful team captain on the line. Up in the booth, Warrod and Levy were staying together to stand for the anthem as well.

Warrod sighed as the music started paying. "Ah…I really love talking through this dreadful song. So old and worn out…not the best anthem for a nation like Fiore."

Levy sighed inside her mind. _"I'm just not gonna say anything…"_

"BAHAHA! I'm kidding!" Warrod howled like usual and slapped Levy on the back. "Yes, I am rudely speaking right now, but only to further my joke. It was just a joke, after all!"

Levy shook her head. "That one didn't even make sense…" She then looked up as the anthem finally ended and quickly took her seat as the game set for its beginning.

Laxus and Hoteye took the center court as Mest joined them as usual. Waiting for full cooperation among the ten remaining players, he blew his whistle with Lahar and then tossed the ball up for the game to begin. Right away Laxus got the higher edge this time around, and quickly passed it off to Natsu. The cocky point guard then laughed hysterically as he dribbled around Cobra.

"HA! You losers are way slower than last time!" He smiled while passing the ball back and forth.

Cobra rolled his eyes while just barely keeping up. "Would you just shut that mouth of yours? God I'm surprised you haven't been released just because of that."

Natsu kept up his speed as he eyed several open teammates through the periphery of his vision. Silently looking, he quickly dispatched the ball to Jellal, who faked a shot in order to clear a pass for Gajeel. The iron man at the Power Forward position laughed all the way to his dunk as he slammed it over Hoteye and partially his own teammate Laxus.

The crowd went nuts as Gajeel patted Laxus on the back. "Thanks for the spring board buddy!"

"Tsk." Laxus snarled his upper lip. "Just get the hell down court."

"HA!" Gajeel had no response and just ran down on his own accord. As the Seis tried to recoup, their angry coach Brain yelled out with force in his voice.

"If you morons let them take one more point in the lead I'll trade all your asses by the next game!"

Cobra rolled his eyes and let the threat pass right through him. He then dribbled the ball down the court and met up with a defensive Natsu standing right at the top of the point.

"Okay big guy!" Natsu smiled with arrogance as he waved his hands. "Let's see what ya got!"

Cobra ignored the idiot as he did his own monitor of the field. Quickly looking and listening to the entire court, he completely drowned out the roaring fairy crowd and kept focus on his team. Then, with a faint smile he passed it off to his Power Forward Erigor down in front. The player nicknamed "the Reaper" then spun around Gajeel and went for the basket. However, being smart enough to see Laxus in the box, he tossed the ball through a tiny, middle hole and got it off to his Shooting guard Midnight standing in the opposite corner.

With absolute ease, Midnight drained a three-pointer and took a tiny lead early in the quarter. Laxus followed Natsu down as the pink haired guard waved his hands in self-defense. "Yea yea, I'll shut up next time…"

* * *

As the game turned into a very high scoring match up, the home team found themselves with a quick time out in the late second quarter. As they all huddled up with arms around each other's shoulders, Natsu tried delivering the new plan to end the half.

"Okay guys we need to keep Jellal open for perimeter shooting. Worst comes to worst I'll go ahead and take shots, but I want the best accuracy we can get if we're looking to keep the lead."

Everyone stood with an awkward silence as Jet raised his hand. "Yea I get ya Natsu…but why did you have to bring _Happy_ into the huddle?"

Everyone nodded as they looked to the fluffy blue mascot stuck between Gray and Gajeel complete with a smiling cat head as a top. Whoever was inside the suit made no noise as he looked at Natsu.

Natsu tried to keep things serious, but cracked with laughter instead. "Gyah I dunno…I just brought him in the huddle to see your guy's reactions!"

They all face-palmed as Natsu leaned over and high fived the team Mascot. The mysterious man in the blue cat suit then raised a fist and turned to join the cheer squad.

"Man that thing is creepy as hell." Gajeel said. "No more of that shit inside the huddle, Salamander."

Natsu nodded, but stopped as the announcer Max kept up his statement over the intercom. "ALRIGHT GUYS KEEP UP THE LOVE! THE _KISS-CAM_ IS FINDING COUPLES AS WE SPEAK!"

Fans became very antsy as the 4 screen monitor showed couples and pairs of people take awkward moments to kiss each other on camera. Most were young teens, with others being the occasionally awkward brother and sister caught on camera by accident. Other times they found an elderly couple who had no shame in displaying a tiny bit of affection, and even when the camera accidentally caught relatives, they usually hugged, or one member kissed the other on the cheek.

Forgetting the Heartfilia's were absent from their usual booth, the humorous camera man tried to capture a quick father-daughter moment, but was horrified when he realized Warrod and Levy were the only ones sitting there instead. Levy held her head down in pure embarrassment, but Warrod was still in a joking mood. He smiled to the camera and grabbed Levy's close hand, and delivered a tiny peck on its top just like a pure gentleman would.

Levy at first was blown away, but even she decided to laugh as she waved to the camera in response. Then, after cycling through several other couples, the camera man finally landed on the one pair he was instructed to find by is director.

Juvia froze with fear and surprise as she gazed up to the screen, where she then found her and Bora sitting inside a great big red cut out of a digital heart.

"U-Um…well I'm not much of a public displayer…" She awkwardly protested as she slowly turned to Bora. "Sweetie…? Should we…?"

She started up, but Bora raised a finger and placed it on her lips. Gasping from the touch of his finger, Juvia jumped. The crowd also let out an awkward noise as Bora was left with a familiar grin residing on his face.

The two basketball teams all looked puzzled as well, with the exception of Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel. Natsu and Gajeel bit their tongues and shook their heads, while Gray kept a very stone cold expression taped to his face. Then, Bora slowly stood and flipped the back of his jacket up in a dramatic reveal. He then pulled out a tiny black box and lowered down on one knee.

Fans across the entire arena roared with celebration as they knew what to expect, and Juvia froze with absolute shock and fear as Bora looked up and into her big blue eyes. Trying to speak over the fans, Bora smiled and mouthed his question. "Juvia my love…will you marry me?"

Fans stood on their feet and began clapping, but Juvia was still frozen in time. Her head was starting to hurt, and her stomach felt like it was going to fall out at any moment. Silently breathing in her own little world, the roaring fans and smiling boyfriend at her feet left her in utter shock, yet as she stood there, she finally made a development.

Bora gasped as he saw a tiny tear rush down her courtside eye. He then tilted his head in confusion. Juvia never wiped it away as she slowly turned her head towards Gray, and looked him in the eyes.

Gray didn't have to find her because he was already looking her way. Natsu and Gajeel changed with expressions as Gray stood in silence and held his breath.

Then…Bora slowly turned to follow Juvia's glare, and he landed right on a shocked Gray. He then quickly turned back to a now watery eyed Juvia. Without any more hesitation, Juvia choaked up a noise and turned to run up the nearest stairway and out the arena exit. Fans made the most awkward noises of their life as a now speechless Bora stayed kneeling on the ground alone on the side of the court.

"Um…well hehe, let's get back to the game!" Max tried his hardest to clean up that mess, but it looked like some fans were still scratching their heads. Bora kept a firm glare right on Gray as he never got up. Gray meanwhile looked back with fire in his eyes, and Natsu and even Gajeel were joining him.

Bora turned to see his favorite player Gajeel giving him the same look and quickly stood up. He then brushed off his shoulder and walked out towards the hallway to find his missing girlfriend. As the teams moved to take their place, Natsu started laughing and patted Gray on the shoulder. "Ha! Hey man, if he tries to kick your ass we'll do our best ta help!"

Gray sighed. "Egh…whatever Natsu." He then shook his head and tried to get back in the game.

* * *

Many moments passed as the Fairies and Seis fought back and forth, changing the lead with every single turnover. Cobra would execute a flawless play to deliver Hoteye and easy close rim shot, while Natsu would lay up a quick three pointer to keep a steady balance on the score board. Laxus and Gajeel would manipulate the lower key, while Gray and Jellal dominated the outside and perimeter areas. Likewise, Midnight and Racer kept their game on high as they followed the two outside players, and likewise went for Hoteye and Erigor as they dominated their home side low point.

Now, we near the end of the fourth quarter as the Oración Seis hold the ball and a time out only down by 4. Cobra broke the huddle with a smile stretched across his face. "Alright, just run that one and settle back at D for the rest of the game."

Only 20 seconds remained on the clock, so after their play ended there wouldn't be much time left on the clock to counter. Then, the Seis inbounded the ball and took it down the court. Natsu geared himself up for a big defensive play, and also kept his arms low as he tried making sure not to fowl.

However, as he got down in defensive stance he noticed something strange. The orientation for the Seis players was all messed up, and instead of Cobra taking the ball, Midnight brought it down the court instead. Even stranger, Hoteye and Erigor were up with him, and began roaming around a good chunk of the upper side of the court, which left everyone a bit distracted from the play at hand.

Hoteye and Erigor were both naturally large men, so their bodies took up a good portion of court as they ran around. Racer and Cobra did the same down low, but not as intensely as their larger counterparts. Meanwhile the Fairies initially tried to adjust, but Natsu fanned them away with a laugh. "We won't let these morons score like this! It'd be crazy if…!"

Too late. Natsu notice Midnight making a subtle move back around the three point line, and leaned up to try and block the shot. Mest and Lahar couldn't see the initial play, but as Lahar looked around the massive Hoteye, he saw Midnight had fallen to the ground from his original shooting spot.

He instinctively blew the whistle, yet right after he did the shot swished into the net and gave the Seis a near game-tying score.

Fans from Magnolia erupted with anger, and even Erza had to hold back her tiny head coach to keep him from breaking Lahar's neck. Mest gave his refereeing partner a bizarre look, but the man with glasses simply held his head forward as he took the ball and set out for a free throw.

"One!" He yelled to Midnight as the players took their spots. The ghastly shooter for the Seis smiled with greed as he began dribbling the ball alon in place.

Natsu stood at the center court with Gray and leaned in. "Just pass it right in when you have an opening…I've got an idea."

Gray shook his head and tried to stay focused as the clock now read 5 bold seconds. He never even bothered to give Natsu a nod as his mind was still wondering from the strange sight from before. As he stayed lost in his own world, Midnight made no flaw in his shot as the Seis now took the tie. Natsu kept a serious expression as he waited for Gray to take his spot.

Still confused, Gray shook his head to snap back into the game, and then followed orders by passing it in to Natsu.

The only problem was, he never actually passed it to Natsu, but instead delivered it to _Cobra._ The Seis guard laughed and effortlessly put up a shot to give his team a two point lead with 2 seconds left.

Gray looked horrified as Natsu grabbed his arm and yanked him onto the court.

"AGH DAMN IT! JELLAL YOU'RE PASSING IT IN!"

Jellal held his head back in confusion as he ran over and followed Natsu's orders. The pink haired point guard never actually got angry with his teammates before, so maybe this was the first time for it to occur. Then, As Gray stood off to the side, the other players began to run around.

However, Jellal quickly found Natsu open very close to the line and passed it in. Natsu then yelled at the top of his lungs as he lined up like a high school quarterback and launched the ball down field. It looked like the most precisely planned shot ever take. The final seconds ticked away as his launched Hail Mary made its way down the court and into the hoop, gaining three points and the miraculous one point win.

Fans fell out of their seats all over as the Seis coach Brain slammed his clip board onto the ground. Makarov jumped up to Erza and into her arms as she awkwardly had to put up with his excessive cheering. Mira, Cana, and the other cheer girls all hugged one another and jumped in the air, and the mascot Happy joined Laxus, Elfman and the others as the entire Fairy roster lifted Natsu to his feet and let him cheer with the win.

"OH YEA!" He cried out with pride. "WE'RE GOING ALL THE WAY TO CROCUS THIS YEAR BABY! FBA FINALS HERE WE COME!"

The Magnolia team and fans continued to cheer as Gray forced a smile and looked on with shock. He then shook his head as Gajeel came over, because they were the only two who don't join in the huddle.

"Relax man. No one's gonna give a crap that you almost lost the game." Gajeel said with a face of reassurance.

Gray sighed. "Yea…I guess that's a good thing."

* * *

Miles away, we find ourselves sitting inside a very luxurious hotel room in the capital city of Crocus. Jude and Lucy had just gotten back from another banquette with a private business college and barely found time to catch the last seconds of the game in their room.

Lucy jumped off her bed in peejays as she cheered and hugged her dad, who was calm but smiling in his team's miraculous victory. Jude then spoke his mind. "I must say in all my years as an FBA owner, that was the most bizarre finish to a game I have ever seen."

Lucy smiled as she sat back down on her bed. "Yea? Well it's a good thing it happened to your team then." She then followed the televised celebrating huddle of fairies as Natsu stood on the shoulders of his teammates and cheered into the crowd. A faint shine of red passed her face as she quickly grabbed her phone to deliver an early congratulatory text to Natsu.

Jude sat back and raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm sure you are very pleased with the outcome. Of all the players on the team…"

Lucy went ahead and sent the message. "You could say that…" She then kept her smile as she looked up to her dad reading. "Ya know, he really isn't as bad as you think."

Jude stopped reading and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am well aware of the type of person Natsu is…I had a nice conversation with him yesterday afternoon. I can't say the subject matter was friendly on my end, but he stayed rather civil through my more forward argument."

Lucy rolled her eyes and grabbed her pillow and the remote while keeping her voice low. _"Yea? Well you're lucky he didn't leave you with a sore face…"_

"Lucy did you have something to add to that?" Jude lowered his book with light anger.

Lucy shook her head. "No I didn't…" She then started flipping through the channels. "I'm…I'm going to see him again this week, you know." She kept her eyes glued to the changing TV while she spoke. "Turns out he really _didn't_ care about your threats, and he wants to hang out the next moment I'm free."

Jude stopped reading and put his book down. He then stood up and left for the bathroom. "Well if you keep these dates up, he'll _care_ soon enough…" The stern father never looked her way as he turned down the small hallway and into the restroom.

Lucy waited until he left the room and irritably threw the pillow at the spot on the bed where her father was sitting. She then grabbed another and curled up on her own bed, but this time on the darker half of the mattress.

 _"_ _Dad, just relax. He's not going to be like Loke…I already know that for a fact."_

* * *

 **Well that one delivered some bball and drama..."bb-drama" haha. The Fairies are trying to control their season now, and they're getting better each step of the way. Natsu had a bad ass ending, but Gray had a very difficult game over all. Also the Bora/Juvia scene!?**

 **Meanwhile Jude and Lucy continue to argue over her romantic life, and she now has dropped the "L-name." Where does _he_ fit into the story!? Eh that's for a later date.**

 **I'll update asap! Apologies for late chapter. Please review like always (and if you want to talk about other things like the FT anime "issue" feel free to do so...I have _plenty_ to vent lol.)**


	30. 30 - Afternoon Getaway

**Author's Note: Well holy sh*t, do my eyes deceive me or has this story reached chapter 30!? WOW WHAT A MOMENTOUS OCCASION!**

 **As a result of this being a big chapter, I decided to make this one special, so please enjoy.**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Thirty - Afternoon Getaway

* * *

It was now several days later at Magnolia Heights Prep High School. Now that Homecoming was well out of the way, the student body had no choice but to quell their energy for the month of November until the new sports seasons started back up during the winter. Even the arts and music groups had a very relaxed month as virtually no extracurricular activity was left in its prime.

With that case, teachers utilized this month to deliver the perfect set of mid-term exams. As we speak, Lucy sits in her least favorite micro-economics class as she readies for the second exam of the year. She tried to get a poor grade on the last exam to keep her business oriented resume from looking too good, but her heart wouldn't betray her as she received an easy A+.

Now, she sat half way done with her second exam of the class, and as all the other students struggled with the very first problem, Lucy decided to sit back and day dream about classes she actually liked.

 _"_ _Okay, well this month will be perfect to get some editing done in yearbook. Not to mention I'll actually have time to help Wendy with formatting. I think the choirs are taking a field trip to the capital, so maybe I can get an interview for that and the school paper!"_ She then immaturely tore the bottom corner off her test, wrote herself a tiny note, and barely slipped it into her pocket before her teacher caught her.

Yet, as she returned to her test, a loud message came over the intercom.

 ** _"_** ** _LUCY HEARTFILIA, PLEASE REPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE."_**

The entire class lifted their heads, and even the teacher lowered his newspaper and gave Lucy a curious look. The equally confused Lucy slowly stood up and handed the teacher her test.

The small elderly man removed his glasses, then looked back up to see her confused face. "Do you know what this is about, Heartfilia?"

Lucy shook her head. "Sorry Mr. Wolfheim. I-I-m kind of confused about it myself."

Mr. Wolfheim grazed his tiny goatee and then followed by nodding with a curious expression, and soon traded her test with a hall pass from his desk.

 _"_ _I guess I'll finish it later?"_ Lucy asked herself and left before she began to leave too much of a distraction, but the entire time her mind was completely focused on the random office announcement. _"_ _W-why would I need to see Principal Lily? Did one of the freshman paper editors put something bad in this week's Monday issue?"_

She held her head down with embarrassment as she slowly marched down to the school office. As she made her way down the school hallway, she finally came across the main building, where the principal's office was waiting behind a fancy glass door.

Lucy pushed the door open, and scanned the room to only find the shrewd school secretary with a short bun of snow white hair typing furiously on her computer. She never even bothered to look up as she saw Lucy entering from the corner of her eye.

"Ah Miss Heartfilia. You have a visitor from your father's company here to see you."

Lucy stopped with confusion in her voice. "Ah t-thanks _Carla,_ I-I mean _Mrs. Marvel!_ "

The secretary stopped typing and looked up as she lowered her glasses. "Hmph…you're lucky I think highly of you Miss Lucy…now please go see Principal Lily."

Lucy shook her head with self-disappointment and slowly opened the door. She hated most of the men involved with her dad's company, but that was because they were all much older, and very "friendly" with reminding her how pretty she is. Creepy co-workers aside, she still had no idea what to expect as she opened the door and heard Principal Lily laughing hysterically.

"Wow are you sure you're not him!? Man you look just like him!" Mr. Lily was a very tall man with dark skin and a shiny bald head. He looked like he weighed more than three Lucy's combined, but only if he was built of pure muscle.

Either way, the usually daunting man had a smile on his face as he finally turned to his other guest. "Ah, Lucy. I must say your father has some friendly company reps."

Lucy's eye began to twitch as she saw just who was sitting in the guest chair, and before she could speak, a very well dressed Natsu Dragneel turned around to deliver a toothy grin.

"Hello _Miss_ Lucy! Glad you were able to get outta class!"

She tried to hold a normal voice. "Um…yea. I am too?"

Lily then took the conversation. "Well Lucy, I hope you weren't busy. Mr. Dragion here was just picking you up for a _surprise college visit_. I hear you're going over to tour Magnolia University? I'm glad you're utilizing our policy that lets seniors excuse classes for college visits."

Lucy's eye kept twitching as she tried to reply. "Uhh yes, well my father actually never told me about all of… _this._ I really wish _he_ would have told me in advance." She was now glaring at Natsu as she tried to relay a hidden message. "So I guess this is a surprise for everyone, right _Mr Dragion_?"

The room went silent until Natsu snapped back into character. "...Oh right, that's me! Ahehe, yea he didn't want you to know...he figured I would _really_ enjoy seeing the surprise on your face when you heard the news in person." He then gave her a little wink without letting Lily see.

Lucy took that as a final moment to smile. "Oh…well in that case I guess I'd better get going."

* * *

Now they raced down the streets of eastern Magnolia in a red sports car as Natsu almost wrecked due to uncontrollable laughter.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man Lucy, you're not gonna believe how long it took me to come up with stupid last name! The guy even said I looked like Natsu from the Fairies hahahaha!"

Lucy smiled and closed her eyes as she held a hand to her head. "Yea? Well color me impressed, Natsu. I guess my father's name really does strike fear into everyone's hearts."

Natsu waved his hands. "Nah that was all my awesome plan! Not to mention my flawless acting! I may even quit the FBA!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Okay, so what's the deal here? We weren't supposed to hang out until after school!"

Natsu kept the smile on his face. "Geeze Lucy, I already told ya! This was all a surprise! I remembered you saying that your dad's been bugging ya with those crappy college tours, so I decided to take you on a _real_ one instead!"

Lucy looked over to Natsu. "Hold on…you're _actually_ taking me to tour MU?"

Natsu nodded his head. "Duh!? I wouldn't lie to that Lily guy, the dude looked like he could bench press a bus! I remembered how ya hate going to all those business schools, so I figured a down-to-earth college like Magnolia might be just the place for you!"

Lucy paused as she collected that explanation. Whenever she talked to Natsu about her personal life or college issues (and her father), she never thought Natsu was actually listening. Usually he was spacing off, or trying to come up with a funny joke.

Either way, she was happy to be proved wrong as she began to smile and blushed all at the same time. "Okay then…let's go to Magnolia U!"

As they got closer to campus, Lucy's heart started beating with excitement. Sure this wasn't the first time she had ever been to the school, but the last time she ever came here was for a party with an ex-boyfriend…and it did not end well to clearly say the least.

In fact, as Lucy's memory began to reverse for the worst, Natsu got excited with all the familiar collegiate smells. "Ah, this place smells just like Acalypha. I can already tell Magnolia kids party hard!" He then looked down a street with a banner tied to a very large and trashed house labeled **"Magnolia Dragons Men's BBall House"**

"OHHHHH LET'S STOP THERE FIRST!" He began to feel nostalgic with all the parties back in Acalypha and tried to turn around. Sadly, that was the same house where Lucy held her bad memory.

"NO! Um…that street is notorious for bad traffic." Lucy started to look annoyed as Natsu began to pout. "Not to mention it's Wednesday afternoon Natsu."

He rolled his eyes. "Agh, come on. It's gotta be 5:00 am somewhere…"

Lucy face palmed at his stupidity as he finally made it to the gorgeous front buildings of campus. Green grass, brick walls, gentle water, and energetic students covered the entire view as all the buildings looked over a hundred years old. Lucy's face became a total smile as she leaned out the window and gathered in her view. "Wow, this is my first time actually this close to campus proper!"

Natsu parked and laughed. "Really? Huh, I'd peg you to be the kind of person who visits the college library even when you're not a student."

She smacked him on the arm as he was getting out of the car. Natsu brushed it off and they both made their way into the main office.

 _~Now, sitting in a meeting with the dean._

"Well, Miss Lucy I must say your qualifications look very remarkable! I am proud to see local young adults visiting our campus, especially when their resume looks as impressive as yours."

Lucy gave him her best smile. "Thank you Dean…" She had to find the name tag on the elderly man's desk, but then located it right next to a brand new un-opened bottle of red wine which made her giggle.

" _Hyberion?_ I really find the campus to be very beautiful!"

Dean Hyberion nodded with satisfaction. "Yes, well Magnolia prides itself on a wonderful campus environment filled with an even better student body. Plus, after looking at your resume it appears that you are very…"

 _*SLAM*_

Natsu was in the middle of holding the very same bottle of wine to get a better view of its label, until he dropped it and halted their conversation.

Lucy began to look very angry, but Hyberion noticed it only fell on the desk and failed to actually break. The suave purple haired dean then followed with a chuckl and set it back up right.

"Hehe…sorry." Natsu held his hand behind his head and let them carry on with the previous conversation.

Hyberion nodded and did just that. "well as I was saying, you're resume lists you as being very involved on your campus, and it has you in a leadership position in nearly all your activities."

Lucy scratched her head. "Um, how did you get my resume?"

Hyberion smiled. "Oh we received a fax this morning from your father's home computer. I must say your achievements are very remarkable all across the board. Straight A's in all four years."

As previously stated Lucy _tried_ getting all A's and B's to lower her business appeal, but she never had the guts in the end and always swung in to secure all A's. Either way she sighed and prepared for the normal routine. "Well my father would prefer me to go to a private business school in Crocus, but I've heard a lot of good things about your very own School Of Business here in Magnolia!"

She tried to sound excited, but Hyberion was left in shock. "Um, I'm sorry Miss _are_ you looking into our School of Business? The fax today had an attached note saying you were interested in our _School of Journalism_? That is our top program here in campus after all."

Lucy's jaw would have dropped to the floor, but she was suddenly able to compose it. "U-Um…I'm sorry _who_ sent _what_?"

Dean Hyberion re-read the piece of paper on his desk. "Yes, it says right here in your father's ink that you were looking into the Journalism School. I am glad you suggested it too, because after all we are the number one ranked journalism school in all of Fiore."

Lucy tried her very best to collect the scene in her head. _"Why in God's name would he accidentally put_ _that_ _on my resume!?"_

She kept thinking until Natsu sat up. "Yea, well this all sounds great and all, but I think Lucy's ready to see what this school has to offer."

Then, as Natsu's eagerness gave it away, it hit her. Jude didn't send it in at all. Lucy remained quite as Hyberion stood up and gestured them toward the door. "Oh by all means good sir! Please have a wonderful tour with our student guides, and once again welcome to Magnolia University!"

After leaving his office, Lucy and Natsu enjoyed a lovely walk with a student tour guide as they strolled along the green and brick of Magnolia University.

"Well as you can tell Magnolia U is one of the oldest colleges in Fiore! It was the very first school to participate in collegiate athletics, and we even have some very famous alumni who graduated from here as well. A few that come to mind include the founder of basketball, _Mavis Vermilion_ , and two FBA all-stars _Yuri and Makarov Dreyar_."

Natsu laughed after hearing all of that. "Yea, not to mention _Elfman Strauss_. He's pretty good now a days."

The girl jumped up and down after he said that. "Oh! Yes I forgot he got drafted! Ooo Elfman was soo nice! He wasn't the best student, but he always knew how to make everyone laugh at parties!"

Lucy shook her head as Natsu started smiling too. "OH YEA! How's the party scene here!?"

The girl giggled as Natsu stepped up with excitement. "Oh it's pretty good actually. Not to brag but my sorority is actually know for planning some of the best social events on campus." She then started walking backwards as she looked at Natsu. "Hey…how do you know Elfman anyway?"

Natsu laughed. "Oh I play with him in the FBA! I'm Natsu Dragneel from the Fairies!"

The girl started to squeal with excitement. "OH MY GOD I KNEW IT! Ohhhh please take a photo with me!" She then stopped the tour, pulled out her cell phone and held it up for a selfie as she put her arm around his shoulders.

Yet as she did, Natsu pulled a very uncomfortable Lucy into the view of the camera, and just then the girl changed her attitude. "Oh...sorry I have too many pictures on here…whoops."

"Hehe eh it's no problem. I'm not that important anyway!" Natsu laughed as he then grabbed Lucy's hand, which further infuriated the ditsy tour guide and left a very adorable smile on Lucy's face.

Then, he turned to the blonde and smiled again. "What do ya think? Pretty nice campus huh?"

Lucy was taking all the beauty of the campus in, but the main thing she had left on her mind was Natsu's friendliness and generosity as he looked down at her and smiled.

She then let out a soft reply. "Yea…it really seems like a special place."

* * *

After a semi-long tour and a quick meal at the dining hall, Natsu and Lucy were finally on their way back to the school parking lot to pick up her car.

"Oh man Lucy! I don't know what your dad would say, but I think you found your soul school!" He tried to give her a supporting pep-talk for her eventual decision.

Lucy kept her head down and beamed. "Yea, I can't say he'd be very excited to hear I went there to visit…" She then remembered the ordeal in the Dean's office.

"Natsu…were you the one who sent my resume into Magnolia?"

Natsu froze and nearly swerved off the road. "Egh…okay fine. Yea I did it."

Lucy kept a smile on her face but held her hands up to cover her cheeks. "How did you do it!?"

Natsu started to grin. "Eh, let's just say I know what time your dad heads into the stadium each day. I also had a very cooperative Virgo help me into his private office at your house."

Lucy then started to feel a shiver run down her spine. "NATSU!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT MY DAD WOULD DO IF HE CAUGHT YOU IN HIS HOME OFFICE!?

Natsu changed his demeanor to serious. "No…and I don't care either."

Lucy remained silent as he explained. "I know you hate the crap out of those business schools he takes you to, and between you and Wendy talking all the time I know you're absolutely in love with writing and journalism." He then reached over and grabbed her close hand.

"I was just tryin ta help you out, Lucy."

They both sat there as the car pulled into the lot. Natsu looked angry at something, while Lucy appeared to be holding in a lot of emotions. She wanted to be happy from his friendliness, but her eyes started to shimmer as the thought of her overly controlling dad crossed her mind, and also at the conflicting thought of Natsu acting so warm in response.

"O-oh okay…" Lucy couldn't handle the situation, and although she didn't remove her hand from his, the blonde awkwardly turned to look out to window as her eyes became glossier by the second.

"Hey we've made it back to the school! Hehe." She nearly choked on her first word, but ended the phrase with a laugh to hide some of the emotions. Her heart was beating ten times faster, and although she recognized this as a good moment, Lucy wanted nothing more than to leave as quickly as possible and drive back to her comfortable home on the east side of town.

However, as Natsu pulled up to her white car he paused, released her hand and got out of the vehicle. Lucy awkwardly followed suit, and waited for him to walk around. He stood in front of her with his hand in pockets and his head turned away with a confronted look on his face.

Then the two stood with an awkward silence until Natsu decided to break it. "Lucy, I'm not gonna say anything about your dad, but listen…if you _ever_ want to hang out at any time of the week, _do n't_ hesitate to call me."

"Um yea sure…" Lucy tried to remain quiet and nodded in agreement, but her insides were slowly turning softer. Then, they both turned their heads to look at one another and reached out for a hug. As they connected, Natsu held it out for a while as he tried to catch the familiar scent of her perfume, which smelled just like her scent form the night before. Lucy held her end out as well to get a better feel of his warmth, which left the moment to linger out longer than expected.

Then, the moment apparently lasted too long for Lucy as a tiny tear rolled down her eyes.

"Natsu _…*Sob*_ you're the first person to ignore my dad in a long time…" She then started to sniffle through her words.

Natsu's eyes widened as he heard her starting to cry, but Lucy only used the moment to hold him tighter and kept her eyes down on his shoulder.

"I-I…I know he loves me, and I've told myself to just suck it up and try a business school to make him happy, b-but…I really can't thank you enough f-for all that you did today...The tour was fun and campus was amazing, but I can't go to Magnolia...I just..."

Lucy had been with a fair amount of boys on small dates before, but only a select few ever tried standing up to her father. Even still, she always knew they only did it to better raise their own ego. Not Natsu though. She could already tell he was actually fighting for _her_ instead of his own happiness, which is exactly why she found herself crying in front of him at this very moment in time.

To respond, Natsu had heard enough. He stopped her right there, and as he pushed himself out to release the hug, Lucy looked up with her eyes widening in confusion.

Then, Natsu grabbed her by the shoulders, and brought her in closer, placing his lips firmly on hers. Lucy gasped for a moment as she felt the kiss connect, and as she melted away in his arms, the tears slowly started to disappear. They both closed their eyes and held out the moment for as long as possible, until Natsu released it and grinned.

"Eh…I've been waitin' a while ta do that…"

Lucy laughed a little at his joke. "Y-yea, me…" She went to verbally agree, but decided to lean back up to show him instead. She kissed him for the second time as he graciously accepted, and as the second time came to an end they slowly released, leaned back, and lowered their grasp down to each other's hands.

Natsu held her hands loosely and looked down at her brown eyes. "Let's try hanging out again after my game on Friday. We won't have another home one for a while, and everyone is still waiting for you to join us."

Lucy's entire day was made in this single moment, and as she tried to recap it all at once, the blonde high schooler finally responded.

"Yea…that sounds nice, Natsu."

* * *

 **Ahaha...it took us 30 chapters to get there, but I liked the moment! (Weirdly enough a scene from SAO helped me write the ending moment there.)**

 **OKAY GANG THIS IS CHAPTER 30! Let's keep up the comments, but let's not make them just normal ones, I'd like ta pick your brains!**

 **Go ahead (if you feel obligated); tell me what your favorite moment has been so far, and also tell me what your looking forward to seeing out of the story/where you think the story will progress. Ya never know...your answers _may_ sway my writing for the remainder of the story.**

 **And as always thank you for enjoying! New chapter ASAP! I'm going to now struggle without watching the new FT dubbed episodes all week so that I can save them for after the new sub episode...I have a feeling I'll need all 11 to cheer me up.**


	31. 31 - The Decision

**Author's Note: Okay GanG, yesterday seemed like a Great chapter for all NaLu fans! I hope everyone aGrees that it was Good! Today's is GoinG to be equally as Glorious! I just hope everyone can Guess who it's mainly GoinG to be about!?**

 **...**

 **If you can't tell I'm slowing going insane with these chapter notes, also the main person's name starts with _G_...**

 **...It's Gray this is a Gray chapter.**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. (If I did we'd have an episode next week...Captain Salty will now be quiet.)**

* * *

Chapter Thirty One - The Decision

* * *

The Fairies have just ended another home Friday night match up with a new disappointing loss as the Crocus Roses take home the win in Magnolia.

Natsu and the others are awfully devastated, and as a result they look to clear their minds at the Fairy Tail Tavern right after the post-game recovery. However, before the usual gang is fully able to unite one member has to trudge through her least favorite ritual as dozens of league reporters scold her with upsetting questions.

"Ms. McGarden, when Oshibana reported wanting to trade Gajeel for all their draft picks next year, what made you turn down their offer?"

Levy sat with a slouched head as the press conference was starting to get to her. Whenever the Fairies won a game they usually only talked with Makarov and team captain Laxus, but after every loss it was pretty clear that the press simply enjoyed picking everyone in the organization apart, especially Levy when for when trade deals came up.

As the Magnolia starters all became more and more popular around the league, Levy also received hundreds of offers for each player. Some were too ridiculous to read while others were even more ridiculous to ignore. Either way, she turned them all down one by one to prove to the league that this team was going to win.

Sadly, the reporters didn't feel the same way.

"Well, Gajeel has been a very reliable asset to the team all year." She timidly replied to all at the conference. "Our back up players are equally as valuable, but I believe that this is the first time a player like Gajeel has developed quite a style of chemistry with a team."

Another reporter laughed. "Interesting way to put it, seeing how Gajeel was the game's lowest scorer tonight…tell me, we also heard Gajeel's former Phantoms team was sending you offers. Gajeel was pretty close to winning a championship with them, and their regular season record this time last year was light years past yours, not to mention they've already beaten you 2 times this season."

Levy sighed. "As I said. Gajeel is a perfect fit to our roster, and there will be no more debate on his contract as long as it's in tact with Magnolia."

A third reporter was beginning to grow impatient. "Fascinating. Then do you mind explaining all the rumors surrounding your romantic relationship with Gajeel Redfox?"

"W-WHA!?" Levy's palms hit the able. "I have no idea what you're…!"

Another random press worker held up his phone to read. "Several eye witness accounts from local Magnolia restaurants have seen the two of you growing very closely over the season. Could this have anything to do with why you refuse to field trade offers, and do you believe you are responsible for crippling the team as a result?"

Another one beat her to a response. "Also can you explain last week's issue with Gajeel tearing you from the press stage!? Does that also have something to do with your inter-organization relationship? Also does owner Jude Heartfilia condone such employee dating in his franchise?"

Levy's brain started to hurt. "Um…We'll look to improve our efforts for the next game."

The crowd went silent as the first reporter spoke softly. "Ms. McGarden, that comment really makes no sense in this context."

Levy blinked several times and slowly stood up as her face turned milky white. Cameras and yells flashed in her face as she turned to leave back stage.

Once she was out of the spotlight, she slowly stepped into a wall and stared blankly at the bricks.

"Geeze. Those morons ask some pretty lousy questions."

Levy looked over to see Gajeel was laughing right beside her. "Make sure when Blondie Heartfilia decides to go into journalism, she doesn't act like a complete ass like the rest of 'em."

Levy paused for a moment before speaking. "Gajeel…are we taking things to fast?"

"Huh?" Gajeel questioned her. "What kinda crap are you on about now?" He then put his hand on her upper back and walked her out into the stadium hallway.

Levy folded her arms and sighed. "Is our relationship really that much of an issue? I mean Jellal and Erza are dating, and I have yet to hear anything about them."

Gajeel started to grin. "Nah, they had a big editorial in the paper today. Bickslow showed us all at a pre-game meeting. You shoulda seen Jellal's face!"

Levy shook her head. "Eh that doesn't help me out of my situation…"

She then reached back, grabbed his hand off her lower neck and took it between her own.

"Let's just get going to Fairy Tail. I need a drink, fast."

* * *

Now, we arrive to an oddly emotional tavern in downtown Magnolia where most of the Fairies are trying to drink away the loss.

Either way, the entire group happened to notice a new addition to the party as Natsu was sitting next to a very happy Lucy Heartfilia at the middle table with the bulk of the audience.

Erza smiled and looked to Lucy. "Well, I'm glad to see you're crazy enough to finally join Natsu at our after game celebration."

Lucy nodded. "Oh it's not just Natsu, I'm really glad to see everyone here!" She smiled and tried to raise the importance of the entire group, even though she had her arm around Natsu's.

The dense pink haired PG was eating a plate full of appetizers and kept distracted from the conversation, which gave Cana time to lean over for a joke. "Eh, the way I see it you're not thinkin about any of us while you're here…" She tapped her glass with Lucy's on the table and sat back down.

Lucy sighed. "Well so much for enjoying a nice friendly meal with the team…"

At the other end of the group Laxus and Mira sat with a very quiet Gray, but Mira failed to notice him at first because she was too busy gawking at Natsu and Lucy.

"OHHHHHHH! They're so adorable together! Lisanna and I told her she would be dating him by the end of the season, and she kept arguing with us the entire way!"

Laxus smiled as he held Mira's hand. "Yea? Well sounds ta me like she was doing a little lying." He then stopped looking and turned to face Gray who was gazing at the moon out the window.

"Okay pal. You score like 25 points tonight, and right now you're looking like the saddest one here. What the hell is up with that?"

Gray never answered.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Hmm, my beer is starting to run out. I could really use another one…"

Mira took the bait. "Oh I have to use the bathroom anyway. I'll grab you on the way back!" She laughed, kissed him on the cheek and stood for the restroom.

Laxus smiled. "Heh, that was easy…" He then looked right at Gray. "Alright, I don't know what the hell killed your buzz, but you gotta let it go."

Gray kept looking out the window. "No one else needs to care about my issues."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "I don't know how you babies did it in Acalypha, but in the FBA, and more importantly in Magnolia, everyone's issues are out on the table. Hell, you're lucky enough I sent Mira away. She'd be bugging you a hell of a lot worse than I am if I let her stick around."

Gray never spoke a second word.

"Gsh. Dumb Ass." Laxus took the final sip of his current drink. "I'm just saying…if this has anything to do with a girl, you have to live like Elfman and be a man. Just go talk with her. Otherwise, your crap starts becoming the reason we keep losing."

Laxus left to go use the restroom for himself before his girlfriend came back, which left Gray some time to think alone.

 _"_ _I tried texting her after the game tonight…but she never replied."_

Truth be told he hadn't seen Juvia at all since the game on Monday where Bora proposed to her during the time out. The moment gave him chills but the worst part of the memory was the way Bora looked at him on his way out.

Either way, Laxus was right. As a result, Gray downed his drink in one go and shot up for the door.

Swinging the door all the way open as he left, everyone at the table but Natsu carried on with their moment of laughter.

The pink haired boy actually looked up from his food and grinned. "Hehe. Go get her buddy."

* * *

Gray didn't bother driving since the two places he usually goes to (his apartment and Juvia's) were both uptown with Fairy Tail. As a result the black haired fool was seen sprinting down the streets as he dodged every passerby he ran into. Shifting through street traffic, Gray scanned the tall apartment skyscrapers looking for the right one with his good friend waiting inside. He had no idea if she was home, and he didn't even know if she was in town.

Either way, he had to see her.

Finally coming up to the right building, Gray made no hesitation in running up the stairs of the stoop. He knew the door man pretty well by now and slipped in the front to make his way for the elevator.

The door was shutting as he yelled out for help. "STOP THE DOOR!"

The patron acknowledged and pressed the button, slowly re-opening the door. Gray smiled a bit as he caught his breath and made it to the door.

"Thanks for the help ma…" He paused as soon as he saw Bora Sinclair holding a bottle of expensive red wine in his hand, and an equally sour scowl on his face inside the very same elevator.

Bora raised an eyebrow. "Well, unless you wish to walk up 25 flights of stairs…" He rallied off with an arrogant attitude as his eyes never left the basketball player entering the small elevator room.

Gray straightened up his jacket and never made an acknowledgement as he slowly walked in. _"_ _Why the hell would I be afraid of this punk? He's looks like he only weighs half my size soaking wet?"_

Gray convinced himself that getting in the elevator wasn't the wrong move, but the conversation about to unfold would likely be the true judge of that. He and Bora sat uncomfortably together in silence as the elevator slowly made its way up the many floors to reach their joint destination. After a quick pause however, Bora laughed.

"Ah! Coming to see your little _friend_ on my floor again?" He knew the real answer, but just liked playing with Gray's mind for fun. Gray kept looking at the door without saying a word.

Bora rolled his eyes. "I must say it'll be pretty hard for _both_ of us to enjoy her tonight."

Gray's mind snapped now that he had 100% conformation that Bora knew all about their relationship. Bora then used the pause for another turn at conversation. "Well, now I know why she wasn't so mad at me leaving town all this time. Hmm, I'm at least glad to say we all enjoyed those mini vacations of mine equally."

The basketball player raised an eyebrow, but remained dead and silent. _"What's this punk trying to pull?"_

Bora grinned. "Tell me, what the hell do you think will happen when we both go in to see her? Will she flip a coin? Will she pick me because of the vacation I just provided for her, and the college I am now fully financing her way through? Or will she go with her manly FBA all-star? I'm so excited I may run down to a bookie's office and place a bet."

Gray's eye started to twitch as his new friend continued.

"Oh wait I have a nice wager for _you_! What do you think I was up to while on my little business trips? I'll go ahead and leave the two of you alone if you guess right!" He teased with a lingering last consonant.

Gray sighed. "Business?"

Bora held his hand up to his forehead. "Well, you _are_ right on that answer, but not what I was looking for…I was actually expecting you to mention the fact that I cheated on Juvia several times with an ex of mine down in Cait Shelter."

Gray was waiting for that and now felt his entire body shaking with rage.

Bora laughed again. "Oh what, and you're more noble that I am? Meeting some random couple at the FBA draft, then all of a sudden you begin sleeping with the girlfriend?"

The angry boyfriend continued as Gray gave him no answer and started to turn away. "You FBA players are all the same, so dense. Although it _is_ funny…" He smiled while holding up the bottle of wine. "I'm actually banking on this to mend my awkward patch with Juvia. I'll never tell her about my relationship with Sorano, but maybe after a lovely night with her in bed I'll finally get it off my guilty con…"

 _*SMACK!*_

Gray didn't let Bora say another word as he turned and slammed his fist right into Bora's right eye. He also managed to catch a bit of nose as a tiny bit of blood was now dripping from the right nostril.

Bora fell to the ground without a word and only a yell of pain as he dropped the bottle. Finally the elevator door opened to their floor. Gray shook his hand and walked over Bora's legs and picked up the wine.

"Thanks. Maybe I'll put this to better use." He then pressed the "1" button, watched the door shut, and left down the hallway.

As the elevator began to lower back down to the ground floor, Bora acted like he was incapacitated, but after the door shut he actually started to grin.

"Wow... _*cough*_...did that idiot honestly not see the camera?"

* * *

Gray was now marching down the hallway in a confusing bout of rage. His entire body was shaking with adrenaline, and the wine bottle was about to slip from his sweaty palm as he grabbed it tightly by the neck.

Then, random thoughts started to pop into his head. _"This better be worth it…I mean I probably shouldn't have taken the wine…"_

He then slowly reached the door as the thoughts piled on.

 _"_ _And why the hell did I punch him…he was saying those shitty comments, but then I just left him there in the elevator…?"_

He now stood quietly in front of Bora's apartment door with a mix of bad thoughts rushing through his mind.

 _"_ _I'm not sure why she hasn't texted me, but I need to find out. I mean she can't be that into Bora. She didn't say yes to him, she ran away crying…but only after she saw me."_

Then he looked down to the wine bottle and remembered a comment from Bora back in the elevator.

~ _"Oh what, and you're more noble that I am? Meeting some random couple at the FBA draft, then all of a sudden you begin sleeping with the girlfriend?"~_

Gray's fist was almost touching the door ready to knock, but instead he shook with rage as a tiny tear fell from his eye.

 _"_ _God damn it…why the hell did I even get involved with these crazy people. If I would have never met them, I'd be having a normal fucking night with everyone else at Fairy Tail…Instead I just punched some random guy in an elevator, jacked his wine bottle, and now I think I can be some hero for his girlfriend!?"_

He let the two tears run down his cheeks as he slowly lowered his hand and trembled for a little moment longer. Then, Gray let the wine bottle slip from his hand and softly hit the carpet below. As he tried to let the tiny tears wash away, Gray slowly turned away from the door and left for the other set of elevators around the opposite end of the building floor.

 _~Yet…on the other side of the apartment door.~_

Juvia knew someone was standing outside her door, but she was too afraid to look through the peep hole. As a result she sat on the other side with her head hung low. She kept her voice down to a whisper in her ambitious wait. "Oh what if it's Bora and he forgot his key? Maybe I should just open it…"

She then lowered her head even more and curled up into a tiny ball. _"Or what if it was…"_ Juvia regretted never texting Gray back all week, but to be honest this was actually the first time she saw Bora as well. She took a week away from both of them to collect her thoughts, and no matter who she liked more Juvia was currently dating Bora, so she made the decision to visit his apartment first.

"W-what if I…m-made a terrible mista…?" She started to feel her lip quiver until a tear of her own almost fell from her eyes.

Then, before she could fully begin to cry, Juvia wiped away her tears and shot up from her floor seat. "I'm not going to stand by any longer. I need to see him _now!_ "

Then, she grabbed a coat and a set of house keys. Finally, Juvia put on a blue cap and opened the door as she left to make her next romantic decision.

* * *

 **Well...that was...an interesting decision (hey look the chapter title!) Okay, I hope Gray doesn't regret... _that._**

 **Anyway tomorrow's is gonna be equally as exciting. Hope you're ready!**


	32. 32 - Love is in the Air

**Author's Note: Okay I had a lot I wanted to do with all the ships...oh what the hell let's just deliver a scene for all 5! :D Remember, this chapter is the exact same night as the one from the previous chapter, and follows right after the scene with Juvia.**

 _ *****Edit: Guys I woke up with an exciting revelation. I always beg for your comments and reviews, but one thing you'll never see me beg for are favorites and follows. However I am absolutely exited to announce this is my first story to gather over 100 follows! Agh I'm so excited I really knew I liked you all for a reason! #BestAudianceEver :D**_

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail_. (The moment of truth is approaching with tonight's final episode of FT 2014...If you excuse me I'm gonna go start a Gofundme account to earn donations. The money will fund my supply of tissues and booze.)**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Two - Love is in the Air

* * *

As the group of Fairies ended their night at the Tavern, they all left for their separate living quarters and planned to meet up for the next home game. Here, we find Laxus Dreyar driving a blacked-out SUV style car with Mira sitting patiently in the seat next to him. While Laxus leaned his hand on the side door, Mira let out a random giggle. "Awe, what's the matter grumpy goose?"

The blonde Center rolled his eyes. "Agh nothing…my team is just full of idiots."

Mira figured it was about losing the game and started to laugh more as she took his hand. "Well you'll have to be more specific, there are a _lot_ of idiots in your eyes!"

Laxus sighed. "Hmm, where do I begin…? It took Natsu like 3 months to see the team owner's daughter was into him, Jellal was a man whore before coming to Magnolia, but now he's trying to sweep it all under the rug before Erza finds out more about it, and Gajeel keeps messing with Levy at those damned press conferences…"

He then let out a bigger breath. "…And _they're_ the normal ones. Now we have that idiot Gray messing around with some broad who's dating a random dude he's never even met, so I have no idea how to react when the dumb ass is sulking around like a child during…"

"Awe you are sooo adorable, Laxus!" She reached out and gave him the tightest hug possible without affecting his driving.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not. But go ahead., defend your statement."

Mira leaned back to her seat, but kept a firm grip on his hand. "You complained about all of your new teammates like they were complete strangers in the beginning of the season, and it usually just involved you blaming all the losses on them…ooo but now you're acting like a real friend, and captain!"

Laxus was about to swerve off the road on purpose to end this miserable conversation. "Is that so? Huh, guess I wasn't smart enough to catch it…" He replied with his usual sarcasm.

Mira giggled again. "Well, no you're not that smart…"

Laxus didn't like that,and now that it was a red light he actually found time to yank her over closer, but she only laughed and continued.

"But come on! The fact that you now care about their _personal_ lives means you truly are beginning to like them as friends!"

Laxus had to break down everything she said before he let out a final sigh. "Fine, I guess you're right…maybe I should just quit the FBA and become a couple's counselor?"

Mira leaned back over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she delivered a suggestive grin. "Well, hmm. What do you suggest _this_ couple should do for the rest of the evening?" She smiled again as she held up their linked hands.

Laxus finally cracked a smile for his beautiful girlfriend. "Oh don't worry, I have plenty of things planned for us once we get home."

* * *

Now, we find Jellal and Erza walking home from the meal. Unlike Laxus and Mira, Jellal and Erza did not drive which gave them a few extra lingering moments with each other on the streets.

"Well the weather is starting to get a little colder." It was nearing December, and Erza smiled as she started to see her breath. She also wrapped herself up in the coat Jellal had just provided as he walked around with only a long sleeved shirt.

Either way, he smiled as he had and arm over her shoulder. "You're right. I hear Magnolia is beautiful in the winter. Normally I played them in warmer weather, but I hear Mount Igor looks lovely capped in snow."

Erza smiled. "Well, I can't say I'm ready for snow just yet. I enjoy the winter, but sometimes it gets too…"

"ERZIE IS THAT _YOU_!?"

Erza stopped walking as she heard a very familiar voice coming from behind. Jellal followed suit and raised an eyebrow as he turned their party of two around to find a very cheery girl with brown pigtails and a purple jacket smiling back at them.

"Miliana?" Erza said as she left Jellal's arms. "W-wow, I haven't seen you since…"

Miliana ran up to Erza while giggling and gave her a great big hug. "Ooooooh I'm soo happy to see you Erzie! It's been a while since we graduated, and wow you've already got a job in the FBA!"

Erza went to say something, but realized Miliana wasn't alone as a second familiar guest followed her.

"Hello Erza."

"Oh, hi Kagura…" Erza felt a little guiltier as her best friend from college came up after Miliana. She still felt uncomfortable about abandoning her, Miliana, and all her other teammates by not going for the draft.

There was a faint silence until Kagura spoke. "I'm glad to see you've gotten your dream job in the FBA."

Erza cracked a smile. "Well, I'm looking more for a head coaching job eventually…listen I never got to apologize for…"

"Save it." Kagura kept frowning but turned her emotions around. "I…I need to apologize to you. I should have just respected you for not wanting to get drafted. I never should have gotten angry when you walked away to pursue your own life."

"OHHH YOU TWO!" Miliana smiled before Erza could reply and wrapped them both in a group hug. She then slightly released it to look at Erza's guest.

"Oh sorry, I should have let you join…o-oh wow _hello_ handsome _._ " She lingered on her last word as Jellal's attractive face caught her eye. "My name's Miliana."

Erza stepped back awkwardly and forcefully grabbed his hand. "Oh I'm sorry. Miliana, Kagura...you both remember Jellal, don't you?"

The blue haired man smiled gently and nodded, while the two girls before im held totally mixed emotions.

"Nope! Not at all!" Miliana smiled back with innocence and gave him a wave, but Kagura looked like she was very deep in angry thoughts.

"Well, I certainly is nice to meet you, _Jellal._ " Kagura kept her face cold as ice, because it almost seemed as if she did recognize him from all those years ago as one of Erza's first collegiate relationships.

Jellal never replied as Erza began walking the other way. "Listen, I really hate to leave now, but now that I know you're both in town let's plan a lunch date for tomorrow!" She then waved and took Jellal with her. "Good night!"

Kagura and Miliana waved good bye, but the former now found the proper moment to release her thought.

"That man…don't you remember him Miliana?"

"Hehe..." Miliana watched them walk away and continued playing with her hair like a cat with yarn. "No, but now I kinda wish I did...wait, why do you ask?"

Kagura rolled her eyes, and ignored reminding her of the fact that Jellal once broke her heart, and instead tried bringing up a brand new terrifying thought. "Wow...he dated Minerva."

Miliana stopped to think about it before letting out a loud gasp. "Oh no…do you think she knows?!"

Kagura shook her head and continued to frown. "No, there's no way in hell…"

* * *

After that awkward run in down on the streets of Magnolia we now find Levy McGarden sitting under her sheets reading a quick article on her phone, while Gajeel finishes brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

 **"** **GM McGarden Hides Relationship from Press: What is there to hide, and how can it hurt the Fairies?"**

She slid down further under the covers and let her head hit the pillow. "Man…can't they just stick to interviewing Makarov or Jude next time?"

"HA! Man you look pathetic as hell, Short Stuff."

Gajeel came over and jumped in bed in nothing but boxers, and as he did Levy curled up beside him. "Gajeel, am I ruining Magnolia's chances at a title?"

He looked angry at that thought. "What the…? Hell no Levy, geeze!" He then patted her on her tiny blue head. "Idiot. You need to calm down before you go having a break down. If we lose, _then_ you can save your moment for that, but right now we still have a shot."

Levy sighed. "Yea, thanks for the clarification, Gajeel…" She then looked up at him and put a hand on his cheek. "But are _we_ ruining Magnolia's chances with _this_?"

Gajeel never answered her and instead delivered a straight kiss on her lips. Levy lingered in the moment until Gajeel leaned back to answer. "Shrimp, I'm only gonna say this one more time. I don't give a rat's ass what those morons say about any of it."

Even though he was angry, Levy smiled and wrapped her arms around his large upper body. "Well then, I'm glad _you're_ with me. After all if it wasn't for you I would have quit a long time ago!"

Gajeel's hearing snapped as she made that statement. _"She woulda quit? That's crazy talk!?"_ He then looked to find her lying peacefully on his chest.

 _"_ _Levy, you can't quit now…you still got a whole lot to learn."_

* * *

As those three developed relationships were experiencing some wonderful moments, we now find a very new one beginning its next step.

Natsu and Lucy were lying on his king sized bed in his downtown apartment with the TV turned to a West Coast Fiore game. Tartaros was about to earn its newest win as Natsu went to throw a bottle at the TV.

However, Lucy caught his arm before he could. "Whoa there! You can't break it yet! I wanna see if there's another game on!"

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Lucy that was the last game of the night. Geeze, some FBA reporter you are…"

She tried to lean up and smack him, but he held her firmly under one arm. Then he started laughing. "Man, it looks like you work out just like you report! You're a total weakling!"

Lucy stopped fighting and began to pout instead. "Now I wish Wendy was here…she'd have my back."

Natsu laughed and patted her shoulder. "Ah but hey! She's over at Sherria's! Or Romeo's…I can't remember…hmm that's probably something I need to figure out."

Lucy started to laugh as she grabbed his hand. "Natsu, Wendy's at Sherria's. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you think the other one, after all she and Romeo are so adorable now!"

Natsu began to smile in agreement. "Yea I guess they are. She sounded like they had a blast at that homecoming dance."

Lucy nodded. "Yea I remember hearing they had a good time! I wouldn't know, I stayed home with Meldy and Yukino to decorate my house for the party."

Natsu froze after hearing that reality. "Hold on, you skipped your dance!?"

Lucy looked puzzled. "Well I mean I made it out for like 10 minutes…I don't know I just had to set up for my party…I didn't feel the need to waste my time going to the dance for the entire time."

Natsu started to see Lucy lowering her eyes, and then he remembered the last comforting night he shared with her in this apartment. "Hey Lucy that reminds me…Wendy told me you had like half the school asking you out?"

"Yea I mean like 10 boys or so? I honestly forget…" She looked uncomfortable but answered anyway.

Natsu shook his head. "Huh. Then Wendy told me you tried asking some guy you were close to? But then he said no…"

Lucy never answered and slowly sat up, keeping her head down. Natsu closed his eyes and began cursing himself inside his mind. He then went to say something, but Lucy turned around and gave him a kiss on the lips.

After kissing him, she leaned back and smiled. "But it's okay. I pretty sure he likes me now."

Natsu's heart started to warm up after seeing her glowing eyes looking back at him matched with her smile. He then kissed her again, and slowly started to lean back on his pillow while keeping his hands softly around her trim waist. She had on a small t-shirt and short athletic shorts, but either way he thought she looked amazing.

Lucy followed and placed both hands on his upper body, and leaned over his broad chest with comfort. She wanted to take thing slowly as the night went on, but no matter what this is exactly the place she wanted to be. As they enjoyed each other for a little moment, Lucy started to find her hand wondering up his very brawny right arm. Her heart started to race as she traced it's muscles with her fingers, and feeling his left pectoral with her other hand didn't help quell the butterflies in her stomach. In fact, neither that, nor the fact that Natsu was completely shirtless for the entire night seemed to leave Lucy in a very comfortable position. He was a professional athlete after all, and if she wanted this relationship to work, she had to behave more maturely around him.

Then, she started to actually feel an odd patch of skin on his right upper arm. It felt slightly rougher than the rest of his skin, and if she hadn't been so focused on feeling his muscles she would have missed it.

Finally, with her curiosity totally peaked, she leaned away from his face, and pushed up the rest of his sleeve to find a red tattoo of the Magnolia Fairies logo underneath her hand.

"W-wow…n-nice tattoo." She said with a near quiet voice.

Natsu never spoke up as he barely had any room to lift his head. Her very ample chest was almost too close to his face in this new position, and it nearly distracted him from replying.

"Y-yea, I like tattoos… _you_ like tattoos?"

Lucy finally looked back at him and smiled. "I dunno...never dated a guy who had one." She leaned back into her former position and started kissing him all over again. However, before they began the second round, Natsu stopped her and brought his right hand up to grab her left.

"Hey…are you ready to keep going? I mean…just say something if you're not."

Lucy blushed, because oddly enough she was actually waiting for him to ask that question eventually. To be completely honest this was going to be her first time doing _that_ , and she figured now with Natsu might be her best opportunity to make it a memorable moment.

Either way, the blonde high schooler timidly smiled and made up her mind. "Um…y-yea. I'm okay, Natsu. Thanks for asking though."

Natsu looked up and gave her one final grin before they continued. "No problem, Lucy...just makin sure you're comfortable."

* * *

Finally, after running into all the other Fairies all over town, we eventually come across Juvia sprinting down the streets of Magnolia. She thought she found an injured Bora sitting inside her apartment lobby, but she never made an effort to look as her head was racing with one thought and one thought only.

"Oh Gray…I'm sooo sorry I never saw you first. I wanted to be fair, but now I feel horrible!"

Either way, she convinced herself she was running out of time. Bora would be texting her soon, and before she began to feel reverse guilt she wanted to solidify her night with Gray. Now, she finally made it to his apartment and ran up through the door. Ignoring the elevator entirely, Juvia rushed up the stairs and onto the high floor that kept Gray's very expensive FBA apartment.

Breathing heavily through her mouth, Juvia tried to collect herself as she began re-locating his room number. "Okay…I think he's in room 784…"

She passed through the hallway and re-traced the floor from her last visit. Finally she came across his door. Now, shaking with total anxiety, Juvia stood alone in the hallway and observed his door. The light looked to be off underneath the base, but she honestly had no idea if he was in a back of the room or not.

She then checked her phone after texting him **"I'M COMING OVER TO YOUR PLACE!",** but she didn't find his reply anywhere.

"Well, maybe if I just knock, or wait for him to read the message, he'll come answer the door." Juvia began knocking softly on the door, but as expected nothing happened.

Then, Juvia increased the volume in her pounding, but still nothing was happening, and the door remained shut. Now, she was furiously pounding on the door, but not even to get his attention. As a fair amount of time passed Juvia was now in half tears and she apparently was using the door to release some emotions.

"GRAY I'M SORRY FOR NOT CHOOSING YOU!" She could probably be heard in rooms throughout the entire floor, but the blue haired beauty didn't care about anyone other than the man behind the door.

Now losing hope, Juvia's tears grew longer and sadder as she slowly fell down to her knees, and then her poundingon the door grew softer and softer. As a result, the defeated Juvia slowly turned around and sat on her behind, leaning her back on the door as she cried into her hands.

"I'm the biggest idiot in the world! I-I didn't need to stop texting him! Oh damn it Bora why did you have to propose!? I wasn't ready to make a decision yet!" Crying uncontrollably, it was a wonder why no one ventured out from any door to see what the loud noise was.

"G-Gray…I-I'm _soo_ s-sorry…" She began choking on her words as the sobs grew louder and louder. Then, she heard a click behind her, and all of a sudden the door swung open.

Juvia as a result began falling backwards without the support of the door on her back, but after supporting herself for a bit, she finally leaned back onto two firm legs standing right behind her.

Then, he spoke.

"Calm down, Juvia…I forgive you."

She reached up to her eyes, and wiped away the tears as a smile crossed over her very gentile face. Juvia never even turned around or stood up before she made her actual reply.

"Oh… _Gray._ "

* * *

 **Okay let's have a recap...**

 **1.) Miraxus: Oh they're so Kawaii!**

 **2.) Jerza: Oh they're so _Kawaii?_**

 **3.) GaLe: OMG they're so Kawaii!**

 **4.) NaLu: Awe, they're _sooo_ Kawaii (and what a gentleman, Natsu!)**

 **5.) Gruvia: _*Tear falls from eye*_ Can't handle it...they're almost _too_ Kawaii.**

 **Okay...you have no idea how much I f*cking hate that K-word (did I even spell it right? NEED A SPELL CHECKER _STAT!_ ) But eh, for the comic relief...?**

 **Anyway I'll get a new chapter out ASAP. In all seriousness Bora and Jude cannot be happy about any of this, and now Kagura mentioned something about Minerva? Also Natsu is keeping his eyes on Tartaros and their superior league record...yea, I bet you all forgot this story was still about a basketball league lol. Comment and Review like always! :D**

 **(Also this story is apparently too long on _MS Word_ to find Spell check errors, so now I only have this website's checker to help me. Apologies if the rest of the story starts containing more errors...good problem to have I guess?)**


	33. 33 - The Ultimatum

**Author's Note: Okay here's the next chapter! Yesterday's classes were fun. I went out and collected some GIS imagery of acid mine drainage near my college with a UAV drone...geography is fun.**

 **In other news this chapter sort of picks up where we left off, but it backs up a tiny little bit before Juvia enters the apartment.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Three - The Ultimatum

* * *

 _~15 Minutes earlier from the end of the Previous Chapter_

Gray sat alone in his living room as soon as he made it back to the apartment. He had a rough walk over from Juvia's complex, and the cold weather didn't help fix his mood. Now, he sits alone with a newly opened beer bottle sitting on the coffee table in front of him. He has his shirt off and his cell phone sitting on his lap while he looks down at the blank screen.

 _*BUZZ*_

Then, he saw the message from Juvia pop up out of nowhere.

 **"** **I'M COMING OVER TO YOUR PLACE!"**

Normally a comment like that made him smile, but he felt rather off after his recent experience from Bora. He sat inside the living room with the TV off as thoughts began passing back and forth through his head.

 _"_ _I can't just ignore them…Bora's gonna probably try and get me back with some bull shit later on…then there's Juvia."_ He tensed up in his seat. _"_ _Why did she have to be so goofy on our first night out? I can always turn down the ditsy girls with no personality, but Juvia…she's been different from every other girl I've ever met."_

He then clenched his fist. _"_ _I don't need this crap fillin my head, and I really don't need…"_

 _*BUZZ*_

Gray looked down at his phone and expected to see a second message from Juvia, but it wasn't her number.

Instead it was a completely strange number he didn't recognize. This promted him into opening the message.

However, a noise came from outside his door.

"GRAY I'M SORRY FOR NOT CHOSING YOU!"

He could faintly hear Juvia yelling behind the sound of her furiously pounding fist on his front door. He could barely concentrate on the message, and although Juvia's presence now confused him, he still had intrigue with the text. When the phone turned, on Gray was left with a blank face as he saw a set of TV monitors in what looked like some sort of surveillance room. There were a lot of different things happening on each screen, but the middle one was where he decided to focus his attention.

It clearly depicted Gray punching Bora right in the face.

 _*BUZZ*_

A second message followed. This one had actual text.

 **"** **Meet me tomorrow at the** ** _Corner Café_** **if you want this whole thing to end."**

Gray didn't even change his expression as he let his phone fall to sleep. He went to think more on the messages, but now he heard Juvia hit the floor, and she also started crying loud enough to hear through the door.

As a result, he reached out and grabbed his beer. Downing it all in one go, Gray set the bottle back on the table, stood up and slowly made for the door. While he began his approach, the crying grew louder. As Gray finally made it to open the door, his hand fell right for the nob, but stopped as he could now hear Juvia's words more clearly.

 _*"…I'm the biggest idiot in the world! I-I didn't need to stop texting him! Oh damn it Bora why did you have to propose!? I wasn't ready to make a decision yet!"*_

Gray stopped and let his forehead slowly rest on the door. He tried to hold in his emotions, but the entire moment made him feel funny.

 _*"G-Gray…I-I'm soo s-sorry…"*_ Juvia began choking up on her words as the sobs grew louder and louder through the thick apartment door between them.

Then, Gray smiled, and opened the door. Juvia as a result began to fall backwards without the support of the door on her back, but after supporting herself for a bit she finally leaned back onto two firm legs standing right behind her.

Aftewords, he replied.

"Calm down, Juvia…I forgive you."

She reached up and wiped away the tears as a smile crossed her face. "Oh…Gray."

Juvia collapsed to one side and sort of turned around. This gave Gray enough leverage to take her by the hand and pull her to her feet, while also having her land in his arms. She then found enough energy to wipe another tear from her eye with the sleeve of her jacket. "G-Gray…I-I thought you weren't home…I was beginning to worry I…I…"

Gray started laughing. "Wow, you really look pretty when you wear that hat."

Juvia stopped sobbing and let a bit of pink take her cheeks. "Well, you bought me this hat, silly…remember? You felt bad for taking me out that night in the cold?"

Gray laughed and slid it off her head. "I know…come on, let's go inside."

* * *

Now, Gray was sitting on his couch with Juvia leaning on his lap. They both decided to open up a random bottle of beautiful red wine Juvia found sitting outside her door earlier that night, and after they each finished their first glass, the couple looked each other straight in the eyes.

Juvia spoke first. "I don't know why I was worried you wouldn't open the door. I knew you'd be here. I just…had a feeling."

Gray took a little curl of her blue hair and twirled it between his fingers. "Yea, well I never invited you. Kinda rude to just drop by without the invite."

Juvia laughed a little. "Well I guess I'm just a rude person." She then leaned up and took his face in her hands, kissing him slowly on the lips.

Gray let her stay there for as long as possible before she receded. He then spoke up. "Juvia…what made you come see me instead of Bora?"

Juvia changed her expression from happy to uneasy. "Oh…well I originally only chose Bora because I felt like I owed him, after all we did share a 2 year relationship. But…" She paused and took his hand tighter inside her own.

"I don't know…He had charm back when we first met, but he couldn't keep my affection as of late…someone else stole it from him." She then smiled with joy and looked right at Gray.

Gray had to collect her response for a moment. He then let a necessary thought pass his mind.

 _"_ _Juvia…I need to tell you…Bora's been cheating on you."_

He didn't say it. Juvia would find out, and she would definitely find out within the next day or two, but Gray didn't feel right being the one to tell her. He thought it would be best if she heard it from Bora.

"Juvia…" Instead, and sighed. "Let's go to bed?"

Juvia held her breath, because she clearly saw he wasn't that tired. As a result, she timidly nodded and stood up, but while she did they both never let go of each other's hands. Once back in Gray's king sized bed, Juvia was seen lying slightly on top of Gray as he lied back on his mattress and pillows. They were each enjoying the passionate moment as a fair bit of moon light shined through the window.

Then, Gray paused for a moment to place his hand up by her cheek. "Juvia…"

She replied. "Yes, Gray…?"

Gray got a quick capture of her deep blue eyes before he started speaking again. "Listen…I know you really didn't bring that much stuff with you tonight, but just so you know…you can stay here as long as you'd like."

Juvia's entire body lit up with warmth as a smile took her face. "O-Oh…well thanks. I may just have to take you up on that offer."

"Hehe." Gray smiled back and took another wisp of her long hair. "I actually like the sound of that."

Then, Gray once again placed his lips on hers and rolled her over for an eventful night to come.

* * *

Now, the next morning (remember, the events that have happened over the past 2 and ½ chapters are all from the same Friday night, making _this_ Saturday morning.)

Here, we find two other romatic interests faintly asleep on a large fluffy bed in down town Magnolia. Natsu sat in a very uncomfortable position as his right arm began to fall asleep. Lucy was gently sleeping as he placed his arm behind her head, and now after she had rolled over closer in her slumber, he now regretted the decision and began moaning in his mind.

 _"_ _Agh man…why the hell did she have to roll over…I CAN'T FEEL MY ARM!"_ He yelled internally until she made a small sound in her dreams.

"N-n… _Natsu_ …"

The pink haired boy stopped with his silent yelling once he heard her speaking his name in sleep. He then grinned.

 _"_ _Hehe…man they weren't lying. She really is into me!"_ He then started to tickle a spot under her right arm with his trapped hand.

Lucy started to slowly roll around until she finally flinched.

"Ahhgh…w-what was that for?" She complained with tired eyes and a soft voice.

Natsu started to laugh. "Sorry Lucy. You were saying some real creepy stuff in your sleep."

Lucy looked embarrassed. "Oh no, I didn't say anything weird did I?!"

Natsu started scratching his chin. "Hmm, let's see…you were mainly just talking about how pretty Erza and Levy are. Sounded like you have some crush on them!"

Lucy smacked him right on his chest. "NO I DIDN'T NATSU! I know because I wasn't think about _them_ at all!"

Natsu let out a tiny laugh. "Hehe okay, talk with me. Who _were_ you thinkin' about then…?"

"Agh…!" Lucy froze with anxiety, but Natsu laughed again and took her under the arms.

"Ah relax, you know I don't really expect you to answer that!" He rubbed her head with his other hand. "Man I gotta say you smell a whole lot better than I do when I wake up!"

Lucy's face changed to red. "Gee…thanks." She then remembered what happened last night as the red on her face grew larger. Then, Lucy grabbed his hand and leaned back on his arm. A she looked up at the ceiling, she started getting curious. "Natsu…if you don't mind me asking, w-was that your first time with a girl…?"

Natsu smiled. "Actually it was! I could tell it was your first time too! Hehe."

Lucy hit him softly on the chest again. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

Natsu laughed. "I dunno? You just seemed kinda timid, but like in a good way! To be honest I'm glad it was both our first…kinda makes it more special, you know?"

"Y-yea…it kind of does." Lucy kept looking at the ceiling while her heart started to beat faster. "But I…I'm not your first girlfrind, am I?"

Natsu shrugged . "Eh, I mean I've had bad hook ups that never went anywhere…I'm not your first boyfriend though am I."

It technically wasn't a question, but Lucy nodded anyway. She then shrunk back into his arm hopeing he would drop the conversation before it left her control.

Then, Natsu continued. "Actually, there's something I got ask ya…"

Lucy's heart was now loud enough for her to hear. She slowly nodded, but tightened her grip on his hand just for comfort.

Natsu went to speak, but he first reviewed the question he wanted to ask in his head. _"_ _Lucy…who's Loke?"_

He paused for a moment before he spoke.

"Lucy…egh…nevermind."

"No wait!" Lucy yelled out without moving her head. "I-it's fine…keep going."

Natsu sighed. "Eh, fine…Lucy…when Wendy told me you were turned down by a guy at Homecoming…was _I_ the guy?"

Lucy's world froze as a tiny smile slipped across her face, because that was not the question she expected him to ask. "Natsu… _that's_ your question?"

He turned his head slightly the other way and grunted. "That means _yes,_ ugh now this is awkward."

Lucy leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Eh, I don't care about that. I feel like we had a better story this way instead."

Natsu paused and then laughed. "Hehe, I guess you're right…now you might wanna leave before your dad starts asking about ya."

"…OH NO I FORGOT TO TELL HIM WHERE I WAS!?"

Lucy shot out of bed and took one of the sheets with her to wrap up her exposed body. She quickly grabbed her clothing off the floor, but nearly tripped on the loose sheets tangled with her feet. Natsu howled with laughter as the back side of the sheets came undone. "Watch out! Ya keep showing me that body of yours I may not let ya go home after all!"

"OH SHUT UP!" Lucy was proud of the compliment, but now was not the time. She quickly ran down the hallway, and into the much larger shower in Wendy's room to begin her morning.

As a result Natsu folded his arms behind his head and smiled. "Ah Lucy…after my ass move with the dance crap, I'm really glad ya kept tryin ta get me."

* * *

After Natsu and Lucy's awkward moment came to a close, the morning passed into mid-day. Here we return to the life of Gray Fullbuster, but instead of waking up with his new close friend Juvia, we now find him alone outside the _Corner Café_ on Main Street just a few blocks from South Gate Park.

Gray had no idea how Bora was powerful enough to gt his phone number in the first place, but was quickly reviewing the messages on his phone from the night before, but after he finished, the Small Forward nodded and opened the door. The café had a fair crowd for that time of day. However, as Gray scanned the room he found just the man he was looking for sitting in a very secluded table in the back. Gray walked over as Bora delivered a grin. He tried to look intimidating, but it was awfully hard to do so with a great big black eye over the right side of his face.

Gray took his seat and raised an eyebrow. "Nice shiner you got there. If I were you I'd consider keeping it."

Bora laughed and took a sip of his coffee. "Funny. Go ahead and order something. We can wait for the business once you've…"

"Can it." Gray said with a firm ending. "I didn't come to eat some crappy café food with you."

Bora nodded and raised his cup. "Ah, touché." He then pulled out his phone and tossed it over to Gray.

"Go ahead and play it for yourself. I think you know what to expect."

Gray regretfully pressed the play button anyway, and as to his disliking, there was no sound in the camera's recording. If he had sound, he could have at least made some minor argument for his own case, but with a muted camera in the elivator all it looked like was a simple motion. Gray hitting Bora, Bora hitting the floor, and Gray taking the wine, leaving Bora to sit alone, injured inside the elevator.

He stopped it and slid the phone back to its owner. Bora laughed. "Ah! I figured you'd try breaking it or something! Must have known this isn't the only copy."

Gray never changed his face. "Alright ass. What now? You gonna show Juvia?"

Bora grinned with more satisfaction and finished his coffee. He then dotted his mouth with a napkin and crossed his legs. "No…I plan in showing it to Jude Heartfilia, or Commisioner Arcadios? I haven't decided which would be funnier."

Gray felt a sting fall through his back as his heart stopped beating for a moment in time. Bora's smile grew bigger. "Oh come now you honestly didn't think this was just some little game between you me and the girl! HA! No no no, this is too good to pass up. Wow I must say I've seen FBA veterans get off with a few minor penalties after assault charges, but most of the stories you hear about rookies don't end very well."

He then began to count on his fingers. "I remember a few years back this angry player from Margaret Town punched some man in a bar fight. He was a first year like you, and you can bet they released his ass the moment the video found a TV…then there was an even worse offense right here in Magnolia! It wasn't really assault, and the kid was still in college, but it should count for something. Some future all-star from Magnolia University was ready for the draft, but he wrecked his car while driving drunk one night heading for a party…Some say there was a girl in the car with him. Then I heard the league owners banded together and had his ass locked out of the FBA. The poor kid never even got drafted."

Gray sighed as Bora started again.

"Oh not to mention the rookie from last year in Crocus! HA! This dumb kid started a fight right inside the bleachers of an Acalypha game! He jumped right up and nailed several fans in the head. Very funny stuff, unless you were the kid. He's not even playing in a foreign league now. I'd say he's probably just some random nobody flipping burgers for a living."

Gray's fist started to clench up again. "So what? You gonna rat my ass out to the League? Get me fired and watch me leave basketball?"

Bora nodded. "Well, now you're showing that young man brain off! It almost takes the fun right out of it!"

Gray held his head low as Bora sat up closer and continued. "You're going to leave my fucking girlfriend alone from here on out. If you act like a good little boy then maybe I'll let you stay in Magnolia to play for that shitty group of Fairies you call a team." He then leaned closer and tried to raise his chest. "Also, if I catch you looking her way at your next game? I'll personally have you…"

Gray started to laugh. "Geeze…you really are an idiot."

"AGH…?" Bora sat back with confusion as Gray stood up. His fists were still balled, but Gray didn't look like he was ready to lunge forward. Instead, he looked ready to leave.

Finally, he raised his head and looked right at Bora. "Personally I don't give crap who you are, and I could care less about your stupid little tape. If I get kicked out of the league, fine."

"B-But…" Bora rang out with fury. "You fucking snake…I swear you'll regret this once I…"

Gray wasn't done as he leaned down and slammed his fist on the table. The entire crowd at the café jumped in fear as all the dishes from Bora's table rumbled around, and the same man was left with shock as Gray looked him in the eye.

"Like I said, I don't give a crap about your little tape, or your threats...but I'll tell you right now, I'm not letting you hurt Juvia ever again."

Bora now felt a tiny bit of confusion and fear circling through his brain as Gray stood up and turned around. The angry businessmen wasn't done either. "So what? You're gonna get kicked from the FBA just to be with Juvia? _Then_ what, Gray!? You're both college drop outs! Neither one of you are fit for real work like me! HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT TO SUPPORT HER ONCE I RUIN YOU!?"

Gray never gave him an answer and continued walking as all the faces were looking at him and Bora. However, before he left, Gray made one final word.

"Juvia's stopping by your place in a while to grab most of her things. If I were you I'd come clean about Sornao…that is unless you want another shiner to match the one you have right now."

Bora lifted his left hand, and covered his healthy left eye with slight fear as Gray stormed off and left the café. In contrast, Gray never changed his emotion the entire time as he pushed open the door and left down the street, returning home to his beautiful girl in wait.

* * *

 **ICE-MAKE _BADASS!_ Nice moves Gray, hopefully they were enough to get rid of Bora once and for all!**

 **Also NaLu had a sweet little moment. Lucy had a chance to tell Natsu about you-know-who, but she seems a bit too uncomfortable to mention it just yet.**

 **Either way they seem happy together...let's see what Jude has to say next time, hehe.**

 **Comment and review, new chapter soon!**

 **Finally, the end has passed for the second full series of the anime adaption of Hiro Mashima's _Fairy Tail_. Episodes 176 to 277 were very fun to watch, and hopefully the new projects finish up soon for the next series to come. So long Fairy Tail 2014, we hardly new ye.**


	34. 34 - An Unlikely Scenario

**Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for a two-day delay! I originally just meant to skip the upload for Easter Sunday only, but yesterday was extremely busy for me. Last month of undergraduate=very busy haha!**

 **Anyway, that stuff's boring! Here's a new chapter! (Also did anyone read the real _Fairy Tail_ chapter this week!? Lucy Heartfilia strikes again with her usual awesomeness...haha "useless" my ass. Proving haters wrong one star dress at a time.)**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail_.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Four - The Unlikely Scenario

* * *

While Gray Fullbuster was enjoying his early morning café meal with his good friend Bora Sinclair across town, we now return to Lucy Heartfilia, who quickly drives herself home along the eastern side of Magnolia.

"I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, and I'm dead!" She frantically complained as her white convertible raced through the lovely suburban landscape of eastern Magnolia. Barely able to breath at this point, Lucy was sure her father would be upset no matter who she stayed with.

Forget the fact that she had a _very romantic night_ with her "forbidden" friend Natsu, all's Lucy would have had to do was say she was staying at Meldy's or Yukino's place and "poof!", no more issue for the morning. However, it was now no longer as easy as she would have liked, and her father was now more in favor of receiving texts from her _before_ the night ended, rather than after.

"Maybe he's in at the stadium for some random reason? It'd give me some more time to avoid him…eh but when am I ever usually that lucky…?" She didn't feel like answering that question as she slowly rolled up to the golden gate of her father's lovely mansion.

"Whe-hello Miss Luuucy! You are sure lookin fine today!" The large security guard named Taurus smiled as he walked over and leaned up to her vehicle.

Lucy kept her sunglasses on and rolled her eyes. "Not now Taurus…just…anything but this."

Taurus laughed and smacked his hand on the car door. "Ah you're right, I'll let ya go on in! I wouldn't wanna keep you from…well, I'll just keep it a secret."

Weirded out by how normal her usually pervy security guard was behaving, Lucy only took it as a sign that her dad was waiting inside with a very angry attitude. Finally rolling through the long, two sided driveway, Lucy turned off her car and slowly got out, making her inevitable walk for the mansion door.

Now inside, Lucy noticed the atmosphere seemed a bit warmer, and very powerful smells came from the kitchen off along the hallway. She curiously followed the delectable sent throughout the main foyer until she finally emerged into the kitchen and the second dining table joining it.

Sitting alone at the end of a very full table of breakfast food was none other than Jude Heartfilia, with a brown cup of coffee firmly in his hand. "Lucy…you've made it home."

"Eh…" Lucy didn't like any of this one bit. "Y-yea…surprise! Hehe."

Jude sighed and put down his mug. "My dear, you can relax. After all I wouldn't want this tension to ruin your appetite."

"My _what_ …?" Lucy visually collected the entire buffet of breakfast food lying on the counter and kitchen dining table before her. It looked delicious, but it didn't look anything like the food Ms Spetto or Virgo usually prepared. It almost looked… _amateur_.

"Um, d-dad?" Lucy timidly took a seat. "D-did you…make all this?"

Jude paused for a moment and crossed his legs. "Ha! I must say you have a keen eye. Of course I did!"

Lucy's head now tilted to one side at roughly 90 degrees. "Um…I never knew you could cook?"

Jude laughed and started putting a small pancake on his plate. "Well, I felt guilty about the way I've been treating you lately, and I feel absolutely horrible for making Virgo clean up after the mess from your party. So I let her have the day off, and since Ms Spetto is still out sick I decided to try my hand at some breakfast recipes myself."

"So, you made me breakfast?" Lucy's face blushed almost like it does around Natsu.

"Yes, I did." Jude looked her way. "If you are a little uneasy from all of this, I can apologize for that too…"

"NO!" Lucy blurted. "No, I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. Um, thanks though."

Jude smiled again and took a sip from his coffee. "Yes, well I truly feel sorry for the way I've been acting lately. I understand that instead of texting me you were at a friends house, you decided on asking Virgo to deliver the message to me instead?"

Lucy had no idea what he was talking about, but she decided to thank Virgo the next time she saw her for the obvious lie. "Uh yea…don't take it personal?"

Jude frowned. "No I'll try not to, but I almost feel necessary doing so. I probably deserve it." He then picked up his phone. "That actually brings me to another topic. You're familiar with the trip Makarov and I take every year to one random game in the FBA?"

"Right?" Lucy nodded. "Usually you two like to go see a game from the team that's not on our schedule. This year it's Tartaros."

Juded nodded. "Correct. Well the strangest meeting came up at the Airway Konzern, and Makarov has been at home all week not feeling very well. It's truly a shame because his grandson Laxus and that girl he's dating, er Mirajane? They both purchased tickets to join us in the box for the game tomorrow evening in Crocus."

Lucy took a small muffin and put it on her plate. "Oh wow that is sad. I hope they're still going to go."

Jude shrugged. "Yes, well now Makarov and I have two useless passes for tomorrow's Sunday night game in Plutogrim…which is why I felt like giving them to you and a friend instead."

His daughter let out a faint smile. "Oh daddy…you don't have to do that!"

"Yes, well I insist either way…" Jude smiled in return, but quickly changed his demeanor. "And…I'm perfectly okay with _whoever_ you decide to bring with you." He barely finished that sentence and looked right into Lucy's eyes.

Meanwhile, Lucy was trying to get a pancake but dropped her fork in shock. "A-anyone I…hold on are you suggesting what I _think_ you're suggesting?"

Jude sat back and sighed. "Lucy…I'm not about to say it out loud."

She didn't need him too. Instantly, she jumped out of her seat, ran around the long end of the table and wrapped her arms around her usually stern father. "DADDY YOU'RE THE BEST!" The energetic teen left for the bathroom right after that, but wanted to leave her dad with a quick and comfortable thought. "And don't worry, maybe if the other guys are nice they'll let me stop by the Crocus Business College while we're in town for the game!"

"Hah, well do whatever you'd like on your day tomorrow…" Jude sighed again and watched his daughter leave. He then took his mug and looked across the room to find a picture of a blonde woman looking his way with a smile.

"I'm sorry _Layla_ …I'll tell her soon enough."

* * *

Now, we find ourselves away from the Heartfilia manor and back in the sight of downtown Magnolia. Presently outside a completely different café from before, a bright eyed Juvia sat under a large table umbrella with Gray Fullbuster sitting across from her.

Juvia took her glass of tea and smiled. "Wow, this truly is a lovely day. There's not a cloud in the…"

"Man, you _are_ a complete weirdo." Gray let out a laugh. "You are by far the only girl I know who'd be _this_ happy after breaking up with her two year boyfriend."

Juvia giggled and reached out to grab his hand sitting on the table. "Well why should I be sad? After all, my _new one_ is the reason the day is so pretty."

Gray felt his insides growing warmer and warmer as Juvia looked his way. He then let out a laugh and shoved his plate aside. "Well I dunno what you'd call our relationship, but hopefully later this week you can make me something that tastes better than this."

Juvia laughed and continued eating her own food. "Awe, this isn't so bad. It just needs a few more ingredients…and maybe a new cook."

Gray rolled his eyes. "See? Even you agree. Come to think about it, what is…eh 'you-know-who' gonna do about your college classes?"

Juvia sat back with sudden discomfort. "O-oh well that's what I've been meaning to tell you…I sort of changed the billing address to myself."

Gray was sipping water, but now spit it out. "Juvia!? You don't have any money!?"

She quickly sighed. "I know, but _oooooh_ I just want my degree so badly! Look, I was thinking about taking out loans to finish my tuition, but that would…"

Gray looked puzzled as she quit talking. "That would _what?_ "

Juvia slowly replaced her hand on her glass of tea. "Well…I was wanting to take loans out for another ambition as well…I was thinking about purchasing a restaurant and starting my own business as well."

Gray sat back without saying a word as Juvia continued. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's been my dream! Bora was supportive most of the time, but…I just feel so confident with you now I can't wait another second!"

Gray picked up his lap napkin and put it on the table. "Man, Juvia…I wasn't joking. You _really_ are crazy…"

Juvia looked worried to see his pessimism. "Oh Gray I promise just let me find a building and take out a loan and I swear I'll..!"

Gray held up a hand and smirked. "No…I mean you're crazy for trying to go into this alone."

"W-wha…?" Juvia paused as Gray took her hand once again.

"Come on." He laughed. "What do you think the perks are for dating a FBA athlete? I'll take on your tuition, and I'll sign for a new building."

Juvia froze with utter confusion as Gray waved for a waitress. "And don't worry, if you feel bad about me paying for all of it, you can pay me back after your restaurant hits the big leagues too."

Juvia took in all his words before tightening her grip on his hand. Gray was too busy looking around for a waiter to notice Juvia looking his way with the brightest smile of her entire life.

 _"_ _Oh Gray I think you might be right, I really am crazy…I should have picked you the moment I met you."_ She left these happy thoughts floating in her mind as her new partner continued to fetch the check.

* * *

While all these friends were enjoying a nice morning meal, we also find a few older friends enjoying a restaurant uptown as well.

"Wow Erzie this place is super fancy!" Milliana, who was Erza's very eccentric friend from her days in college, was enjoying the atmosphere of a high class restaurant. She sat at a table with Erza herself, and their mutual friend Kagura joined them for dinner as well.

Erza delivered a satisfied grin. "Well I'm glad you like it. Magnolia really is a rising star in Fiore."

Kagura nodded. "Yes, from what I heard it was quite the run down little town. However they seem to be slowly sprucing it up little by little."

Erza nodded and took her glass of water from the table. "Okay, well earlier you wanted me to let you know when I was free for lunch, but now you send me an urgent message for a meal today, just the three of us?"

Milliana quit smiling and looked to Kagura. "Oh yea…Kagi I'll let you do the talking."

Erza looked worried as Kagura tensed up. "What's wrong? Is there something I should know about?"

Kagura looked to Erza. "No, I mean no one is hurt if that's your concern. It's just…it's about _Jellal_."

Erza sat up in her seat. "O-oh…well tell me what's the concern?"

Milliana then began to day dream as she twirled a finger in her hair. "He's totally adorable, that's the concern…seriously Erza how did you lose him the first...!?"

Erza cut her off there, and knew that wasn't the issue, but either way she seemed to have no response for Milliana. "Um...I'm not sure how to answer that."

Before Kagura was able to speak, Milliana started to giggle once more. "Sorry, you two just seemed so cuddly on the sidewalk yesterday. Ooooh you are so lucky to have him, and the Magnolia Fairies!"

She reached out and grabbed both of Erza's hands and started to shake them up and down. Normally, Erza would have smiled, but something seemed a bit off. "Sorry, but I feel like you're hiding something…what is your concern with Jellal?"

Milliana shrugged and took her glass from its spot on the table. "Eh, I tried to stall. Don't look at me, this is all Kagura's crazy thinking."

Erza figured as much and looked to her even tenser friend Kagura. The dark haired beauty then followed up with deep sigh. "Erza…you know Jellal has been in the FBA for a while now."

She nodded. "Yes, roughly 10 years. He'd like to play 10 more if his game stays at its peak."

Kagura didn't acknowledge his game. "Yes, well that would be nice. Tell me…you do remember what Jellal was famous for in the FBA?"

Erza started to rub her arms. "Yes, I am aware of his rather _loose_ past…but I've moved passed that, and even made up for our previous relationship together."

Kagura was slowly regretting her decision to bring anything up. "Yes, but has he ever told you about any of the _other_ girls?"

Erza sighed. "Frankly I already met a few of them. Some in real life, some while over the phone, but I must say none of them bother me to this date. He seems to be over them. More importantly a large portion of the girls he's been with have occurred in his two year break, and none of them were actually steady relationships."

Kagura was worried she'd think like that. "Yes, well that's not the case for girls he was with _before_ his two year break…and before he met you during that break as well. Sometimes Jellal didn't just date girls his age. As you can tell he liked to go for more, younger relationships."

Erza stayed quiet as Kagura's words were starting coming out slower. "Erza, while Jellal was in Crocus, he dated a girl from Saber City College...just after he broke up with you the first time. She was a basketball player there...at least that's where she played at the time."

Erza raised an eyebrow. "Well I must say it sounds like you've done your research. I'm thankful to have a friend like you looking out for me."

Kagura never smiled, and swallowed a trapped lump in her throat before arriving to the point.

"Erza, the girl Jellal dated was named _Minerva Orlando._ "

* * *

 **Well NaLu and Gruvia were going so well, and they almost let the story drift into harmony...but DAMN IT JERZA YOU HAVE TO TRY AND DE-RAIL _NOW_!?**

 **Ugh, well address this crap next chapter! This one was really weird. I have a plan for everyone, but I needed to write this chapter to bridge it all together. Sorry if it was lame. Lol comment and review like always!**


	35. 35 - The Fight in Plutogrim

**Author's Note: Hello! Trimming the romance today. It's basketball time...sort of, but not really. Enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Five - The Fight in Plutogrim

* * *

As Saturday turned into Sunday, and morning turned into afternoon, we now find a very expensive jet airplane flying at 30,000 feet in the air heading for the Crocus Airport. Aboard is a tiny crew of passengers, but most notably the daughter of the Heartfilia Airlines Lucy, her family butler Caprico, and several friends including Laxus, Mirajane, and a very sickly Natsu.

Now, Lucy sits next to her sick, pink haired guest as she tries handing him a glass of water. "Oh Natsu. I'm sorry I forgot about your sickness!" She had no idea what to do since this was her first time every having to deal with this sort of thing.

Laxus kept his head back and relaxed as he sat across from them. "Yea? If you ask me I'd just leave him be. The idiot always passes out on our trips to away games anyway."

Mira held a hand up to her mouth. "Awe, do any of you even bother to help him when he's like this?"

Laxus laughed. "Ha! What, am I his mom!? Just get him some sleep aid and he'll be out til Crocus."

Lucy sighed and continued rubbing his back. "Well anyway, thank you guys for still wanting to go tonight. I'm really excited!"

Mira smiled and nodded. "Oh no! Thank _you_ for still letting us go! We were worried that Makarov and Jude would have to cancel, but this is almost even better!"

Laxus shrugged. "Eh, she's not lying. You two are at least normal…well, at least one of you is." He meant Lucy but looked down at Natsu.

Lucy laughed at his joke. "Well, I'd understand if my dad weirds you out, but your grandfather has always been so nice to me. I can't imagine him being anything but normal!"

Laxus rested his hand on an armrest and looked the other way. "Yea, we'll just say it's a family thing."

Mira grabbed him by the arm and continued talking to Lucy. "So, are you excited to see a game in Crocus?!"

Lucy had no choice but to nod. "Actually I'm thrilled! I've never been to a game outside Magnolia before, so this will be a whole new experience for me."

Mira snapped her finger at that. "Oh, well why don't you use this as a nice chance to spread your writing wings? You know, you could always try writing a column for teams other than just Magnolia every once in a while!"

"Eh…" Lucy rubbed the back of her head. "Well if I did that I'd be afraid of sounding too biased against Tartaros, not to mention their opponent is Acalypha. The Blue Pegasus team is looking kind of down hill this year, so I can't say they'd be very exciting to write about." In all honesty she was trying to wean down her excitement for a not-so-near future in journalism. The deed performed by Natsu the other day at Magnolia University made her light up with joy, but at a certain point Lucy needed to accept her eventual major in business or marketing.

Either way, Mira smiled and nodded. "I understand. Besides, it may make the game kind of boring if you spend the whole time working…after all you wouldn't want to let it distract you from _Natsu_."

Lucy gasped, and was now very thankful that Natsu was no longer able to focus on the conversation.

As a rebound, Laxus replied first. "Mira just give it a rest. You don't have to be all nosy with everyone's relationships."

Mira put a finger to her cheek. "No? Well hmm, I just thought I would try acting like you Mr Team Captain!"

Laxus was starting to get angry, but Lucy laughed in response. "Wow, you guys really do go well together."

Mira tightened her grip on Laxus's muscular left arm while he grunted in supposed support.

Lucy giggled and then looked over Natsu's seat out the window. "Well, we'll probably be there soon. After all, Magnolia to Crocus isn't a long flight at all."

* * *

After a seemingly short flight into Crocus, Lucy and the others quickly stepped off the plane and found a shiny, rented limousine waiting for them atop the airport tarmac. Now, after spending their time at a quick restaurant uptown in the heart of the capital, the four Fairies made their way to the stadium for their game.

 _Plutogrim Coliseum_ was one of three major basketball arenas in the capital city. Standing apart from the Crocus Roses's home base at _Crocus Gardens_ , and the all-purpose athletic stadium _Domus Flou_ , the Plutogrim was by far the most modern looking stadium in the entire league. After forming the team, the franchise was asked if they wished to share the Gardens with the Roses, but the Black Devils denied the invitation and made their own stadium through self funds. It appeared to have a square design with black steel supports, and dark grey glass windows all around. A round of colored spot lights shined up from around the bottom, and alternated from red to white. In addition, the entire grounds were made up with a mixture of concrete and green spaced parkways, with plants and fountains galore.

It was no wonder why the _Tartarus Black Devils_ were the best team in Fiore, at the very least, they made sure to look the part. Lucy and the others exited their limo, and as they made their way up to the entrance Lucy grabbed Natsu's arm with a tightened grip.

"Wow, and I thought Magnolia had a nice stadium." She oggled with a face of shock and awe as the view of the Plutogrim took her attention.

Natsu growled. "Egh, this place looks so lame. We'd win every game if we played those cowards ourselves."

Laxus and Mira walked in front of them, and as they group made it up through the crowd in the entrance, one tiny camera crew spotted a familiar head of spiky blond hair.

"No way! That's Laxus Dreyar from Magnolia!"

"YEA! And NATSU DRAGNEEL IS WITH HIM! SO _COOOOL!_ "

Now the entire group of people walking inside made a turn to stare at the entering Fairies. Mira waved with a soft smile, and Lucy mimicked her as a sweat drop rolled down the side of her head. "W-wow…this is a little awkward."

Natsu started smiling and pumping his free hand fist as he answered the reporters' questions. "OH YEA IT'S US! We came to scope out the competition!" He laughed and made all the fans around him join in the joke. Lucy had no choice but to grab him by both hands at this point and drag him inside.

* * *

Now, safely sitting inside one of the central luxury box seats, Lucy and the others looked out onto the court. The entire seating area, and even the lines on the court were solid black. The wood was a traditional color, but it really stood out with all the darkness from seats and t-shirts in the sea of Devils fans.

Lucy's skin started to chill as she looked at the massive crowd. "They all wore black? That's totally insane!"

Natsu nodded. "Totally! They all look like a bunch of Goth kids! Right Laxus?!"

Natsu went to high five his team captain, but he only got a scowl."Hm, if ya ask me? Those clown costumes we wear in Magnolia aren't any better."

Natsu sort of nodded. "Yea, I like the red, but the yellow crap does stand out too much for me."

Lucy smiled and tugged on his clearly labeled Fairies t-shirt. "Yea, I can see you came to support your _real_ favorite team. Maybe if Acalypha wins you can have a soft spot for…"

"Oh my, this is _quite_ the little arraignment!" Said a mysterious voice from the neighboring box seat marked right at center court.

Laxus, Mira, and Natsu all raised their heads, but the closest seat to the new neighbor was Lucy, and she knew exactly whose voice it was.

"Ugh…not _him._ "

As Natsu looked up to see the other box, he noticed a large crew of men wearing very dark and expensive black suits. However two men stood out more than the rest. One was very tall and lanky, and he looked to be over a hundred years old. He wore solid black sunglasses, a bald head, and his mouth looked so dry around the corners he could almost pass for a skeleton.

The other man was one Natsu was slightly familiar with. This man had a long head of black hair tied back in a pony tail, and an equally expensive suit as he kept a sinister grin glued on his face. Although Lucy made a forced effort to give the men eye contact, Natsu's growling face was kept looking at the latter man's right hand, which was decorated in four very large and shiny golden rings.

That man spoke up once more. "Miss Heartfilia, it truly is an honor to see your beautiful face representing your father's company. While I fail to regard that group of young men he insists on calling a 'basketball team', I do have the utmost respect for his business in airlines."

Lucy rolled her eyes and kept her glare on the court. "I'm sorry sir, but my guests and I are only here to watch the game."

Mard Geer laughed. "Ahah, so quick to end the conversation? I figured we would need to get to know one another if we plan on sitting next to each other for the…"

Mard went to continue, but at that moment Lucy was quickly pulled out of her seat closest to Mard's box, and instead placed in Nastu's empty seat beside her. Then, Nastu took the end seat and looked right to the other booth.

"Look, go ahead and bother me all you want, but Lucy only came here to watch the game and hang out with her friends." Nastu held an angry face as Lucy kept holding on to his other hand.

Mard Greer raised an eyebrow. "Ah perfect. Just the man I wanted to see… _Natsu Dragneel_. You're quite an impressive acolyte, even if you do play for the Fairies."

"Cut the crap Mard." Laxus now spoke from the far end of his booth as he looked over all his friends' laps right at the neighboring booth. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be coaching these asses?"

"HA!" Mard Geer laughed. "Oh god no, I've gave up that task a long time ago. I only watch the games form here now." Mard Geer was known for things just like that, simply changing the way his team was organized just to antagonize and abuse others. He always changed his system in order to to trick other GMs and coaches, then when he got bored he would try a new strategy. One year he might label himself as the coach, then the next the Gm, or maybe even both.

Now, he pointed to his creepy right hand man. "This fine fellow is named Keyes. He's been acting as our GM this year, and might I say he's been doing a fine job at it as well." He then pointed to his team's side line, where two very determined and very voluptuous young women were standing with clip boards in their hands. "Those two lovely young coaches are Kyoka and Seilah. They've managed the team of Champions for the duration the entire year all in my name and request. I must say coaching a a team to four straight championships gets very tiring, so having all the help I can get makes for an easier route to number 5."

Natsu heard enough and slammed his fist down on the armrest, nearly breaking it off. He then looked right at Mard Geer. "You bastards aren't ever gonna win that fifth. As long as I'm in the FBA, I'll make sure you never touch a new ring."

Mard Geer raised an eyebrow and turned to the court. "A very bold statement, Fairy. However, before you become so quick to judge my team, perhaps you should see them in live action first…?"

They were unstoppable. All the players stood feet above the Acalypha team, and the deficit was nearly forty by the end of the first half. None of this helped lower Natsu's blood pressure, and Lucy nearly thought her hand was going to fall off every time she grabbed his to calm him down.

Laxus was acting very unusual the entire time as well. Normally the other teams just made him roll his eyes and nod off, but these Tartarus players weren't having the same effect on him. He was angry, and he even started stomping his feet at most of their baskets. Like Lucy, Mira too was having a hard time keeping Laxus from jumping out of the booth, but in the end both Fairy basketballers remained as calm as possible.

 _~Down on the court._

 _"_ _Maaaaan!"_ Yelled the awkwardly short point guard Ichiya of the Acalypha Blue Pegasus team. "You Devils are surely keeping up the skills this year."

The swift point guard for Tartaros was having none of it. "I'm sorry? Is this little troll trying to talk with me?" He howled with laughter and plowed over Ichiya on the way to the basket, easily jumping up and laying in a dunk.

Natsu and Laxus stood with anger as no fowl was called, and Ichiya actually needed help standing up. Eve and Ren held Ichiya off his feet as Hibiki walked forward and looked in the assaulter's face.

"Look Jackal. None of us need this crap right now. Just keep the game simple and…"

"HA! AHAHAHA!" Jackal howled and walked to his bench as the time out took place. "Keep the mouth shut pretty boy, or else you'll be the next one down!" He wiped his forehead and walked to his bench, but as he did a teammate with broad shoulders, a square jaw, and short purple hair trimmed in a military cut looked him in the eyes.

"Keep that tongue down, Jackal. We only get a few of those calls each game…see that they're not totally wasted."

Jackal stood on his tiptoes and let fire fill his eyes. "HUH!? I'm sorry Torafuzer, but I think those Pegasus clowns are getting their asses kicked in the game? Who the hell cares how many fowls I use!"

"Hmm…" A very silent man with rough, blond facial hair sighed as he took a sip from his bottle.

"Eh shut up, Tempest." Jackel rolled his eyes. "You all are morons. We're up by 40 and frankly I don't give a shit if these punks go down a few pegs."

A man even bigger than Torafuzer with spiky blue hair started laughing hysterically. "BAHAHAHAHA! He's right, these clowns are asking for it! They're not even built like athletes! Great for a good smack down."

As the four Tartaros players began arguing more, the two coaches tried to collect the demeanor of the other bench.

"Hm, this game's over. We might as well just leave now while everyone is still in high spirits." Said the girl refereed to earlier as Kyoka. She had medium length green colored hair that pointed out at two sides, and a sinister smile covered her face.

Her assistant looked slightly younger, and her long black hair nearly went don to her waste. "I suppose you are right. This season is over. It's safe to assume we have earned the good owner his final ring, even if the playoffs are half a season away."

"Ooooh! You are right about that, Miss Seilah! After all how much is this game reaaally worth?" Said a small, and oddly round small forward with a buzzed head of green hair. He had beady little green eyes and a calculating smile as he rubbed his hands together with joy.

Seilah sighed as Kyoka rolled her eyes. "Franmalth, we don't need your input. Wait with the others."

"Oh fine, Miss Kyoka. If you insist." He nodded graciously and turned to rejoin his comrades on the court.

Eventually, the Tartaros Devils didn't let up. In fact they managed to increase the lead by 10 points and sent the tiny Eve Term to the locker room with a head injury. Once the game finally ended Natsu was shaking with rage, Lucy and Mira were saddened and speechless, and Laxus kept his arms crossed and head down.

In any case, Mard Geer stood up to make his retire. "Well, my victors will certainly want to hear a speech from their beloved master. Do be good little Fairies, and try your hardest to fly home safe." He made a half-hearted wave as he, Keyes, and the other businessmen followed him out their exit.

Natsu was still shaking with rage as Lucy started to rub his arm. "Hey, you gonna be okay?"

It took him a while to speak, but once he did, Natsu was only filled with anger. "Oh yea…in fact I now have a whole new motivation for winning the league title."

He went to stand up, but suddenly felt his pocket start buzzing. Acting surprised, Natsu was clueless as to who it could be and answered the call as such. "Hello…?"

"Natsu?! Damn man, where are you? Are you on your way to Oaktown tonight?!" It was Gray.

Natsu looked at a now worried Lucy. "Um, in Crocus…what's up?"

Gray cursed on the other side. "Agh never mind…let's just say a few of us decided to go ahead and make the trip up for tomorrow's game, and _somebody_ provoked his old friends from the Phantoms…"

* * *

Now, finding ourselves on the other line in the heart of Oaktown, Back Steel Gajeel had the tough but small Totomaru of Oaktown pinned up against a wall inside a local bar. Levy held on to his arm trying to yank it from the poor Phantom player's neck. "GAJEEL! PLEASE NOT NOW!"

Juvia ran up from behind to try and grab the other arm, but Gray beat them both to the punch and handed the phone to Juvia. He then grabbed Gajeel by the chest and yanked him away. Totomaru collected himself and rubbed his throat. He then looked to his teammates Sol and Aria. The former was laughing with a sly grin through his single monocle, while the much taller Aria was sobbing through a pair of black sun glasses.

"O-oh so sorrowful! GAJEEL PLEASE COME BACK TO US!"

"WHAT!?" Totomaru yelled out. "Are you kidding me!? That's the kinda shit he pulled all the time last year!" He pointed at Gajeel cracking his knuckles.

The formerly quiet Gajeel now stood tall. "Exactly. When some little punk starts runnin' his mouth to me in a bar, I usually get pissed off…now, try doing that tomorrow, and see if it doesn't get you killed."

Levy smacked him on the arm and tried to drag him back to their table. Meanwhile Sol began stroking his tiny green mustache. "Oh ce magnifique! It would appear that Monsieur Gajeel has not lost his fighting spirit, nor his iron heart."

Aria was now hugging an even angrier Totomaru. "YES! IT TRULY IS A SAD OCCASION FOR THE FIORE BASKETBALL LEAGUE! WHY SHOULD TWO YOUNG AND TALENTED ATHLETES SUCH AS YOURSELVES FIGHT LIKE THIS!?"

Gray and Juvia turned to Levy and Gajeel, who were now both sitting down in their booths. The manager behind the bar went to walk forward, but Totomaru freed himself and raised a hand. "Nah, let them enjoy their tiny moment in Oaktown. After all I can't imagine they'll be this high on life after we're through with them tomorrow."

He then turned for the door and walked out with Aria and Sol at his heel. Gray shook his head as Juvia reassured Natsu and the others. She then hung up the phone and handed it back to Gray as they both sat down with a still very tense Gajeel and Levy.

Gray looked to his teammate. "Hey, let's just finish our drinks and head on in to the hotel, man."

Levy looked up at Gajeel hoping for him to deliver a quick reply, but even so the tall Power Forward sighed. "Whatever…right now, I only have one thing on my mind, and it ain't no lousy bar drink…"

* * *

 **Ah my two favorite Fairy Tail villains, Phantom Lord and Tartaros, all in one chapter. Good stuff.**

 **Anyway, I hope you like the transition back to basketball, remember I gotta keep a balance, haha. Tomorrow will probably be the Fairies vs Phantoms...who will win!?**

 **Comment and review! :D**


	36. 36 - Showdown in Oaktown

**Author's Note: Hello! Got a long one for ya today! It's Basketball-thirty (BB:30) here in _Hardcourt Heroes!_ Rival vs Rival, and Fairy vs Phantom. Who will win!?**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Six - Showdown in Oaktown

* * *

The _Jupiter Stadium_ inside the heart of Oaktown was slowly filling to the brim. Fans from both sides made sure to fill every seat, but the home team Phantoms clearly held a majority. Either way, the sea of fans was split from red to purple around the entire court, and as the game set to begin, both sides were quickly warming up. Tension filled the court's air after each practice shot or pass. The Phantom side made the effort to eye ball every Fairy after their rehearsal plays, but the away fairies made no effort to return to attention.

In fact, some of the Fairies were very isolated the entire time. In fact, a very angry Gajeel Redfox sat alone at the center of the bench as his other teammates began stretching their limbs.

"Pff, what's up your butt?" Natsu laughed as he bent an arm around his chest. Gajeel made no response as Gray pivoted his feet to get closer to Natsu.

"Shut up man, he had a rough night…" Gray kept his voice down, but it was obvious Gajeel could still hear.

Natsu howled with laughter. "OH MAN! You still mad about that little fight!? Bahaha, Juvia told me and Lucy all about it over the phone! She said it was like 3 minutes long, tops!"

Gajeel was still sitting as he was one of the few players not stretching. He tried keeping his eyes connected to the floor, but every once in a while he would make a quick glance at the Phantoms on the other side. Totomaru, Aria, Sol, and even the others made their stares back as they all sunk perfect warm up shots, which didn't help calm Gajeel's nerves. Natsu went to make another comment, but then stopped as a lower level fan behind the bench threw a discarded hot-dog at Gajeel's back.

"NO FIGHTS TONIGHT, MEAT HEAD!" The obnoxious man yelled but never revealed himself as Gajeel's skin was starting to heat up.

Natsu was with him, and actually stood on a chair and yelled to the audience. "OKAY WHO'S THE SMART MOUTH THROWIN' FOOD!?"

All the fans started laughing and no one stood up. As a result Elfman picked Natsu up and put him back down on the court.

"Relax man, we can't let you get another technical this season." Elfman said with a worried expression. "Besides, these guys are number 1 in the east. If we can beat them we may jump back up a few spots in the rankings."

Gray continued to stretch as he took the advice too. "Yea, Elfman's right. We gotta focus…" He then turned to find a lone blue haired shooter on the Fairies empty court shooting his usual three point warm ups.

"See? Jellal's already getting focused." Gray tried to argue until Laxus threw in a thought of his own.

"Him? That guy is on an entire different level of insecurity. I mean he's been doing that for like the past hour."

It was true, before the other Fairies came out to the court for warm ups, and after they left for their first break, Jellal never left his corner three pointer spot and continued to throw up shots. One of the Fairy ball boys was starting to get tired arms just passing the balls back, but the only end in sight for Jellal was the game time buzzer.

Natsu scratched his head. "Yea, I almost feel like stretching just to stay out of his way. Somethings definitely up his butt too."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Yea, I wonder what _that_ could be…"

At the close end of the Fairies bench, Makarov kept an eye peeled right for the Phantom players. He was getting nervous, but tried to act confident for Jose on the other bench, who kept making suspicious smiles his way.

In fact, Makarov was almost too focused to see a very determined Erza standing next to him. "You're not taking notes…"

Erza made no response.

Makarov retorted. "Erza, you always take notes before each game, and right now you seem to be putting that tradition on hold."

She kept her eyes peeled right on the Phantom shooters.

The tiny head coach let out a sigh. "Erza…I'm not sure what happened over the weekend, but please let it slide. We're only one day into December, but we get a few weeks off for a league-wide break. If it can't be fixed in one week, then just get through this month's games and solve it then."

She tuned him out. Why did she need to listen? After all Makarov could have been _completely lying_ to her about the _actual number_ of league scheduled games. What if they actually had _more games_ then stated, and some of them included _tougher opponents_ who had _better_ assistant coaches who were _much prettier_ than...?

Erza was starting to lose her mind. She continued getting angrier until a loose ball came and nearly took off her head. She then shook her head for good measure and snapped back into reality.

"I…I'm sorry, Coach Dreyar. I should have never…ignored you." She was now re-evaluating the rude thought she made just a second ago.

Makarov looked over to see Jellal shooting alone and then looked to Erza. "Eh, it seemes like you've been through a lot. Just please don't let it steal the focus of our players…"

Then, the buzzer went off and the Phantom commentator rang over the intercom, signifying game time in Oaktown.

"GOOO MAGNOLIA!" Levy McGarden cheered from the guest owner's box as she, Juvia, Jude, and Warrod all shared the space by themselves. Caprico waited in the glass interior section for his employer's demands, but the Fairy owner and his three guests sat in wait as the game slowly began.

"Soo Jude." Warrod grinned and looked to his younger partner. "I had a chat with some of the players. The pink haired one sounds like he's blossomed a little friendship with your daughter?"

Lucy was at home back in Magnolia, because this just so happened to be an away game on a school night for her, which kept her from joining the group. Jude raised an eyebrow but never turned to make his comment. "Yes, and if you don't mind I'd like to keep it between them."

Warrod slapped his knee and howled with laughter. "BAHAHAHA! Oh no wonder I never had kids, I'd be a paranoid parent all the time! I mean, little Mavis was pretty young when she coached us to the first championship, and I sort of treated her like a daughter, but having a real one?! I don't even have a joke for it!"

Jude sighed and tapped his fingers on his leg. "Mhmm." He then cleared his throat. "Miss Juvia, at the half I'd like to hear more about this restaurant you plan to buy. It sounds like quite the investment."

The very timid Juvia shook with discomfort as Levy and Warrod both sat between her and Jude. She then spoke up. "U-um, yes that sounds like a good idea. After all I feel like I owe you a good conversation for inviting me to the private box. I honestly can't thank you enough."

Jude laughed. "Oh nonsense, I insist. Gray seems to be in high spirits ever since he met you, and you seem like a very business savvy person. It almost gives me an idea to have you talk some sense into my daughter."

Juvia laughed and let the conversation end there. A silence passed for a moment until Levy started to laugh. "Hehe, um guys…the anthem is playing."

Warrod and Jude didn't change their expressions and stood up like nothing happened. Juvia on the other hand nearly jumped out of her seat with embarrassment to place her hand over her heart. As they continued to stay quiet the music played, leaving Levy with a chill on her spine.

 _"Gajeel…please just make it out of the game with no injuries."_

The anthem ended, the teams set up, and now Laxus and Aria locked eyes at center court.

"Step into zero, Laxus. We'll have this game won before the buzzer even ends it."

"Just shut up and play, Aria. No crap tonight." Laxus rolled his eyes but stood ready for anything.

"OH THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING ME!" Aria began sobbing through his loose bandanna around his eyes like usual, until Mest tossed the ball into the air, and landed it right in Aria's vacant hands.

"I'VE WON THE BALL, SOL!" Aria continued to cry like a man-child as he quickly passed it off to his Francophone point guard. The green haired man grinned with pleasure as he took the ball and began a dribble.

"Ah merci, mon bon ami! I will deliver our first basket of ze night!" He quickly moved the ball around Natsu, who was left in an angry man-hunt to run him down.

"AGH! GET BACK HERE…!" He shouted with rage until Sol quickly passed it off.

"Pardone me, but I have a new cible in mind. _Totomaru,_ zis is for you!"

The nimble Sol passed it right to the hot tempered Totomaru, who quickly took the ball, side stepped to avoid a very slow Jellal, and sank the first score of the night.

"AND THE PHANTOMS TAKE THE LEAD BY 3!"

Jellal looked - as Totomaru shrugged and laughed. "Geeze, you're not even the one I was trying to school, tonight."

The blue haired shooter watched him run down the court, and quickly followed his team with a blank expression. _"I have no business being in this game. I don't even have a reason to be in Oaktown period. Not with…"_ To be completely honest Jellal wasn't bothered by Erza's seemingly angry expression. He got used to that on the 2 hour ride alone with her to Oaktown.

However, as soon as he went to start up his pre-game shooting, he quickly spotted a gorgeous head of familiar long black hair sitting in a lower section with the equally familiar coach of Sabertooth, Giemma by her side.

 _"Why couldn't the Sabers have a game tonight? And of all the games to attend!? Why did *she* have to come...?"_ Well, to be fair this was the best match up of the new week. The Phantoms and Fairies always delivered a close finish, but so far the former always edged the latter with a usually easy win.

Either way, he had Minerva's beady little eyes on him the entire time, watching his every move with that sultry grin he learned to despise. However, the entirety of her presence left him uncomfortable none the less, which resulted in his odd behavior.

 _"She's clearly here to watch me, so maybe if I play bad, the coaches will take me out…I know one coach who wouldn't hesitate…"_

"JELLAL WHAT THE HELL!?"

The blue haired man snapped out of it as he heard Natsu yelling at him, and saw himself as the lone man on that side of the court. In the span of his black out, the Fairies had turned it over, and switched sides to find a wide open Totomaru with another three pointer.

Jellal took a big gulp as Makarov called an early game timeout. As the teams rounded in for a huddle, Gajeel stepped up and took Jellal by the neck. "What kind of crap you tryin to pull, pretty boy?! There still some red hair stuck up your ass from the night before!?"

Erza stepped forward with a face of pure anger until Makarov held up a hand to stop her. "Gajeel, watch your tongue or else you'll sit for the game."

"Agh…" That was the last thing he wanted. He didn't need to hear a stadium full of fans who hated him laughing the whole game at his bench time. Even more he hated the thought of Levy providing a lecture on the car ride home.

Either way, he crossed his arms and folded. Makarov went to speak up, but Laxus stepped first. "Look, personal crap aside these guys are really slow, tonight. Natsu, Sol's their fastest guy so just try to keep up with him. The only reason they got 6 points is because they caught Jellal sleeping twice. I'm not the only one here who knows that's Totomaru's first back-to-back three point series in his entire career. He's really pretty limited."

Natsu nodded. "Right?! Guys, we have _four_ whole quarters left! Let's not make this time out a waste and get out there to kick some ass!"

"Eh no need to tell me! Ain't no reason we need to be panicking just yet." Gray laughed. Elfman yelled with pride, and the other bench players joined him in a celebration.

Laxus stepped up to put a hand in the middle and waited for the quiet trio of Gajeel, Jellal, and Erza to give him eye contact. "All hands in, none of this half-assed crap."

They all three lowered their shoulders and slowly placed a hand in the middle as well, letting Natsu lead the cheer and end the time out.

Now, the game changed.

Natsu quickly delivered a pass to Gray, who spun around and passed it right back. Natsu then used the opportunity to get Gajeel the ball in order to avoid the quick Sol's approach, and the Iron headed Power Forward followed a hole to the basket to secure the game's first dunk.

"AND THE MAN OF _BLACK STEEL_ SLAMS ONE IN FOR MAGNOLIA!"

Half the stadium booed while the other roared with praised. It appeared the fans were more polarized than Gajeel thought, and as a result let himself earn a little smile in a tiny victory. However, his eyes met with Levy's booth as she could be seen waving with two largely supporting hands. It made him chuckle as Sol took the ball down to reinstate their lead.

"Well, you certainly have the fiery spirit. I would hate to see it break into tiny pieces." The poetic PG Sol laughed as he looked to Natsu and Gajeel.

The hot-tempered Fairy Point Guard was concerned for Gajeel's odd placement, but as soon as Sol went to pass, he understood. Sol faked a pass to Gajeel's original man Boze, but as he tried to deliver a shot to Totomaru, the Iron Power Forward howled with laughter and intercepted the ball.

"You little punks ain't got nothing on me!" He shouted with pride as he ran up to deliver an uncontested dunk, narrowing the early lead to 6-4.

Totomaru gritted his teeth and stopped Sol on the return. "No more shit passes."

Sol stopped him right there. "Ahah, the _iron traitre_ has gotten into your head, no? Calm yourself, we will take our victoire in due time."

After the friendly scuffle subsided, Sol took the ball down again and made no hesitation to dribble, spin around Natsu, and deliver a pass to Aria standing down low.

"OH THANK YOU SO MUCH SOL! I WILL NOT LET YOU REGRET THIS DECISION!" He wailed with the ball as he tried to pivot around Laxus.

However, the smiling Fairy held out his hands. "No move Air head. You ain't getting anywhere near that rim."

"Is that so?" Aria said with a chilling response. "Well then, maybe I'M NOT THE ONE WHO NEEDS IT!"

Aria passed the ball over the center of the paint and found Totomaru standing open on the perimeter. He took the ball and went up for a shot, but as he did Gajeel slapped the ball and drew a fowl.

"AGH COME ON!" He yelled with anger as Mest came to fetch the ball. "I NEVER EVEN TOUCHED ARM!"

Mest rolled his eyes. "Calm down. Two for Phantom."

"TWO!?" Totomaru was standing on the other side of Mest now with eyes of anger. "I WAS IN THREE RANGE!"

Mest rolled his eyes. "No, your foot was over the line. Two shots!"

Totomaru rolled his eyes and went to the line. Easily making the shots, the Phantoms and Fairies quickly turned the ball down court once again.

Now down by 4, Natsu need to strategize for a new lead, or…eh, he could just be Natsu.

"Hehe, I know what to do now…" He slide his feet, faked Sol out and shot a very far off three pointer. It looked good, but after hitting the rim, Gajeel had to fight his way into dangerous territory for the rebound. Now looking at Jellal, he passed it with pride. "Here! Show the Salamander what a real shot looks like!"

Jellal received the ball, and paused to let a flying Phantom player miss the block. He then took no extra time in delivering a silky smooth three pointer into the net, lowering the lead down to 1.

Gajeel ran up and gave him a high five. Jellal went to speak but was quickly stopped by Gajeel's praise. "Hey, no need to thank me. Just trying to help with that make up date you'll be waiting for later tonight."

Jella's face turned read as he ran down with Gajeel. He then turned to Erza who looked like she was pouting and turned the other way.

Gajeel smacked him on the back and ran forward. "Hold up, we'll finished this later!" He quickly darted to stop Totomaru again, but made sure to hit all ball out of the shooter's hands and into Laxus's.

The tall defensive center was now looking at a wide open Jellal at center court. "Here! NO MESSIN' IT UP!"

Jella snapped back in, took the ball, made a tiny dribble to the line and shot up another three pointer, sending the Fairies into a new lead and half the crowd into a cheering frenzy.

"Wow, what chemistry." Warrod smiled and nudged Levy on the arm. "That Gajeel you were cheering for really knows how to play against these Phantoms."

Levy blushed and rubbed her arm. "Well, that's one of the reasons why I signed him, hehe."

Warrod winked. "Ah, I imagine you're other reasons were just as good. Let's hope these boys can hold a lead."

* * *

It was a close one. Back and forth, second quarter, third quarter, final quarter, the lead never stood still. It may have broken a record for most lead changes that season.

The Phantoms looked tired, but the Fairies weren't breathing easy either. Levy and Jude were both receiving frantic texts from Lucy back home, but both were very delayed in their responses due to all the drama.

As the clock started to lower the Fairies took their place in a time out huddle. Natsu spoke first. "Okay guys, we have this game won! All's we need is a nice plan for the basket!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "That'd be easier to say if we had the ball…or the lead."

It was true. Not a whole lot of time sat on the clock as the Fairies found themselves down by 3 without the ball. The Phantoms were ready to inbound it rather close to center court, and the Fairies had to bring their A-game for the lasts seconds to take the ball back for a game tying point.

Laxus agreed with both of them. "Alright, let's just take Natsu's confidence and shove some of Gray's common sense into a new play. There, now who takes the end shot?"

"OH ME OR JELLAL, DUH!?" Natsu slapped his chest and placed his other arm around a still quiet Jellal. "It just depends on who's where at what time."

Makarov scratched his chin. "Hmm, well that does sound like a good strategy. _However_ …" He then brought in the huddle for a new play.

Now, everyone took the court, and as the Small forward Kagiyama stepped out to inbound the ball, he was surprised to not see Gray Fullbuster waiting in his face.

"Um…what the hell is this?" He asked as a grinning Gajeel stood tall and ready for action.

"What? Am I too scary for ya?" Gajeel started to laugh as he saw Kagi's brow starting to produce more sweat.

Kagi shook until he heard Coach Porla yelling over. "Don't let that coward talk you down."

The Small Forward then made a huge gulp and broke the ball. Instantly he tried to pass to Totomaru, who was supposed to try and draw a foul or take a shot after receiving the ball.

However, what Kagi didn't expect was to find Laxus Dreyar towering in front of Totomaru ready for action.

"Alright Natsu, you're ball!" He hurled it down to a running Natsu, who turned to catch below the hoop. The crowd collectively gasped with confusion and all eyes were waiting to see if Natsu was stupid enough to take the two point shot.

However, the pink haired boy laughed and spun around, eyeing Jellal right on the three point line. "OKAY BUDDY! YOU'RE UP!"

Jellal quickly received the ball with a delayed Totomarua and Kagiyama running his way. His entire world slowed down as sweat was pouring into his eyes. Also, he was taking the shot right in front of the Fairy bench, so needless to say as very still and nervous Erza was looking right behind him every step of the way.

She had no idea if she truly wanted him to make it or miss it, but either way Erza made a tiny prayer.

 _"Please…just go in."_

Then, Jellal slowly raised his hands, looked to his mark, felt the ball leave his fingers, but coughed with a gasp as his eyes quickly found Minerva staring right back at him the entire time.

Then, he got a better look...Minerva wasn't at the game at all. Nor was Giemma.

Jellal cleared his head in that tiny fraction of time and realized the black haired woman was far too old to be Minerva, and the balding man with dark sunglasses was far too portly to be her muscular father. Frozen in half a stance, the ball trickled off his fingers, flew to its goal, but barely bounced off the rim, landing on the ground as time expired.

Phantom Fans erupted with glee as the Fairies all cursed in the air. Gajeel yelled with rage and kicked several bench seats into the crowd, injuring some of the fans and alerting several indoor police units. Meanwhile, Jellal kept his eyes on the strange couple he mistook for the Orlandos as his hands started to shake. He felt like his head was about to explode, and some of the lower Fairy fans were even yelling curse words down his way.

He lowered his head and went to turn and find the opposing players for a hand shake, but instead found Erza standing right in front of him.

She smiled, stood tall and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, right for the whole finale crowd to see.

As Jellal held his breath, Erza looked him in the eyes.

"Now, we're even."

* * *

 ** _Are_ they even!? I think there's some more tension that needs to be worked out. _PLUS_ Gajeel seems pissed, which means Levy's gonna have to play therapist later on. Also, Juvia still has issues with that restaurant and Jude's acting weird about Lucy again, so I imagine Gray and Natsu will be involved as well.**

 **Basketball today, romantic stuff tomorrow? ...yea, romantic stuff tomorrow. Comment and Review as always!**

 **(Also to a _Guest_ account's recent review: Thank you for your concern! Unfortunately I can't hold a conversation with you without leaving a long discussion in the end notes, which may distract other readers. Please look to see where I take the story from here, or if you ever make an account and wish to PM me, I am more than happy to chat! :D)**


	37. 37 - A Seasonal Resolution

**Author's Note: Okay! Here's the chapter! It's pretty fluffy...lol. Try to enjoy?**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Seven - A Seasonal Resolution

* * *

It was now several weeks after the previous game in Oaktown's Jupiter Stadium. The Fairies had made a nice ride by easily winning three games vs Hargeon, Clover, an Onibas. However, these were all bottom of the barrel teams, and that rivalry game vs the Phantoms really kept them from taking the east title.

Now sitting at the middle of the pack, the Fairies found themselves, along with the rest of the league, at a minor 2 week break. Normally the FBA issued a one week break for rest in late December, followed by an All-Star week in Crocus just in time for the holiday season…

…However, several veteran players (some of which include Laxus, Gajeel, and many others across the league) ruined the experience last season by starting up a game-wide brawl with both benches. Some Tartaros players flapped their gums, Phantoms got angry, Gajeel sent a guy to the hospital, the details really aren't important. All's that mattered now was the League Commissioner revoked the All-Star break for one year, and instead gave the entire league an extra week away from games.

In that case, it was not just any late December night, but in fact it happened to be December 31st. The year X794 was coming to an end, and here we find a very large crowd of Fairy friends gathered in the very spacious down town apartment complex owned by Jellal Fernandes. However, before we find the hosts for the evening, let us revert to a very oddly placed Gajeel and Levy, who happen to be sharing a love-seat couch in the very lively living room roughly 30 minutes before the ball drop.

"This is so ridiculous!" Gajeel yelled as he began chewing on an empty beer can. "I didn't even wanna come to this crappy party with these idiots."

Levy smiled and gave him a pat on the back. "Well gee I'm sorry, but I really wanted to see everyone. I mean it's not like you owe me anything for keeping your butt out of jail…oh wait."

As previously stated right after the loss vs Oaktown, Gajeel threw an extra large temper tantrum as he began kicking chairs and hurling water bottles into the audience. A near small riot almost ensued before the cops were able to come and wrestle him down. Natsu almost jumped over to give him a hand, but Gray and Elfman responsibly held him down as well.

After the game however, Levy was removed from her multi-personnel press conference to go help Gajeel from being fully arrested. She negotiated a simple payment/fine deal that made Gajeel pay the league a certain amount of money to let it all wash under the table as a first of the year offense. Either way, it took a lot of internal strength for Levy to keep from sounding salty. "Look…I know you have nights where you really don't like seeing anyone, and that's fine. But come on, it's the end of the year, and your team is on the hunt for the playoffs! Be happy!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and tried looking away. "Are we? Looks like we're in fourth place if ya ask me…"

He was silenced as Levy grabbed his chin and gave him a kiss. She then looked him in the eye. "Well, good thing the east takes four teams to the final playoffs."

Gajeel forced a smile and laid back with Levy around one arm. "Shrimp, you never really did tell me why you chose Magnolia."

Levy started to blush. "Wha-a? I mean, I was fairly clear that I just wanted to give a small team a chance to win."

Gajeel wasn't buying the whole "noble deed" thing any longer. "Nah, nah. Give it to me straight, you have more reasons for pickin this crap hole of a town if you wanted to win."

Levy sat up and slightly turned away from Gajeel. The party around them was loud and friendly, but the two on the couch were both able to tune the noises out and focused in on each other.

Levy sighed. "It's because…this crap hole used to be my home."

Gajeel stopped laughing and sat up with her. "Wait, you used to live here?"

She nodded. "It wasn't a very nice place growing up, and heck it's probably the main reason why my family moved to Crocus when I was younger. I liked it, but all my life I sort of took heat for being from Magnolia, the rust capital of Fiore…"

Gajeel had no words as Levy kept explaining. "But now…everything here is so colorful. Sure parts of the city are still down hill, but for the most part things are on the rise! And heck, the Fairies have one of the nicest facilities in the league! I really…just wanted to win one for the home team."

Gajeel stopped to collect the entire explanation. He only came here because they offered the most money, but and he figured that's why a young GM like Levy did it too, but never did he expect her to be born and raised here.

Either way, he laughed. "Shrimp, that's gotta be one of the lamest excuses I've ever heard. This town isn't that bad."

Levy looked up to his eyes, then he continued.

"Sure you let some punks in middle school tease ya, but now look at you. Taking the crappy Fairies to the playoffs with a roster you hand-designed yourself? No wonder you were so good at fixin' this place…"

Levy had no choice but to stop, smile, and give him another kiss on the cheek. Gajeel appreciated the gesture but moved the second one back to the lips.

As those two were beginning to enjoy the night a light too early, we now find two more Fairies discussing some plans for the future.

"Ooooh! Gray what about _this_ building?! It has two full sized seating areas, plus a kitchen that was recently refurbished!" Juvia held a tiny page up on her phone and frantically pointed at the picture on the screen.

Gray laughed and took another drink from his bottle as they both sat at the kitchen bar. "Yea, it looks nice, but you're telling me you want to go blow all your money on some pricey new building?"

"What do you mean?" She asked with hesitation.

Gray took the phone, backed out, and chose the second option. "This place is a little older, but they're not looking for a new crew entirely, just a new owner. Try buying a place that already has workers, that way they can teach you some things about the business as well."

Juvia took the phone that he handed back to her and looked worried. "Oh, I mean that's an interesting way to put it. What if I do need more training? I mean, I've never actually worked in a restaurant since my freshman year in college, and that was just waiting tables! How will anyone take me seriously?"

Gray put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Hey, relax. Remember, you still have a semester of online classes to earn your license in the kitchen. Us that, wait to raise some money, then get a master's or something. People will have no choice but to respect you then."

Juvia stuttered again. "O-okay, but what if I just need to take some time to learn how to cook, then learn the business end of management."

Gray rolled his eyes and started laughing again. "Juvia just take this semester and apply to work as a part time chef downtown somewhere!" He set his drink down, took her phone and placed it on the counter, then grabbed both her hands.

"Would you just calm down about everything? You're going to be awesome at it no matter what."

Juvia was still nervous but she really appreciated the support. "Oh, you're right…I guess after two years with Bora I just got used to managing my self. It's sort of nice having a teammate through all of this, now."

Gray nodded, and picked up his bottle to raise it in the air. "There, see! Teammates, through best and worst."

He took a drink, but as soon as the bottle left his lips, Juvia jumped forward and planted hers right on his cheek, and then leaned back to smile. "You're far too good for me, Gray Fullbuster!"

Gray raised an eyebrow and looked at his half-drank bottle. "Eh, I get that a lot."

Giggling, she smacked him on the arm and gave him a second kiss to help settle the mood down once again. Now, after letting the second couple raise the room's temperature, we now find one of the younger pairs standing around the main island in the kitchen.

Natsu held a chrome drink mixer and began shaking it frantically up and down. He then stopped to add a few more shots of some random liquor and laughed. "Lucy, I'm not sure why you're hanging around me and the bar, you're not aloud to have any of this crap tonight."

Lucy smacked him on the arm, and nearly made him drop the bottle before he was able to grab it out of thin air.

Hands over her mouth, Lucy returned to a semi-angry expression with her hands moved down to her hips. "You can relax, _dad_. I haven't had a drop to drink all night!"

Natsu kept mixing and then raised a hand under his chin. "Hmm, I like the whole 'dad' thing, hehe!"

"UGH! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!" Lucy went to smack him again, but Natsu braced for impact and ducked as Lucy swung and missed.

Now spinning, she turned around and almost hit the floor, until Natsu caught her with his other arm and raised her back to her feet. Inches away from each other's faces, Lucy's started turning very red with flustered embarrassment.

"…nice catch."

Natsu howled again and let go of her, and as she gained full balance yet again, Lucy leaned over the counter. "So what are you making, anyway?"

Natsu started laughing again. "Hehe, maybe that cocktail I made for you over the fall? I'm not sure anymore I've just been picking up random bottles the entire night."

Lucy's eyes were about to fall out of her head. "Please tell me you're not going to drink any of it…?"

Natsu chuckled. "Pff, no way! It's a request…" He went to explain, but as he did Cana Alberona walked by and snatched the mixer out of his hands.

"Thanks short stuff, I'll take it straight form here." She smiled as she began downing half the mixer in one go.

As Cana walked off Lucy started laughing. "Well, looks like you lost your drink."

Natsu shrugged and went to the fridge. He then pulled out two beer bottle, stuffed one in Lucy's hands and grabbed her arm to leave for the living room. "Come on! I need ta sit down!" He explained with a determined look in his eye as he now made a hunt for the couch.

Lucy started freaking out with her newly earned beer bottle. "NATSU!? I told you I'm NOT drinking tonight!"

Natsu laughed and looked her in the eyes. "Okay? Set it down then."

Lucy paused as they stopped walking. She then looked down at the bottle, then back at their joined hands. "Well I mean, now I feel guilty…you gave it to me."

"Geeze, Lucy. You're hopeless, you know that?" Natsu shook his head and kept dragging her into the living room.

While those two were now sharing a drink together, Cana kept stumbling around trying to find other couples to antagonize. As she got rather bored with Evergreen and Elfman, she quickly spotted her new target standing alone at the tiny dining room table.

"Awe, is wittle Waxus all by himself?" She asked as she pulled up a drunken seat and placed it by the menacing Fairy Center sitting all by himself.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Mira's in the bathroom, and I don't need to deal with this right now."

"AHAHA! Oh you're too adorable!" Cana howled and took a other swig of her mystery drink. She than raised an eye brow and wiped her lips. "Wow, that kid can make a mean drink! No wonder Lucy latched herself on to him…"

Laxus sighed. "Yea? Are you pissed off you didn't catch him first?"

"Natsu?" Cana asked. "BAHA! Hell no! That kid's too loud for me, which is why he sort of fits perfectly with Lucy…" She then shrugged and crossed her legs. "So, any big plans with Mira? After all I can't really see you two hanging out here all night."

"Mgh." Laxus gave her a single grunt, to which she rolled her own eyes.

"Oh brother, you're totally ridiculous. I've known you two for what, five years? I think I'm aloud to voice my input on the _SS Dreyar-Strauss_ ship."

Laxus was starting to get annoyed. "Hmm, well maybe you were on to something when you said I should leave? I am getting sort of impatient with this crowd. Maybe I'll take Mira and bolt outta here."

Cana smacked him on the knee. "HA! You know I was kidding! I mean Mira? She'd never let you two leave this early! I'm not even sure why you were so gullible with letting her bring you. You never like these house party get-togethers. It's almost like you're…" She paused for amount as her eyes wondered down to the ground.

Apparently as she slapped his knee, a tiny object fell out of his exposed lap and landed down under his seat. Sitting with wide eyes, Cana sat up. "Um…you dropped something."

Laxus raised his head and looked her right in the eyes. His first thought was " _Oh shit."_ , but he never said a word as both he and Cana lunged forward to grab the tiny black object.

To her luck, Cana swiped it first. After further investigation, her jaw was nearly on the ground. "Oh no shit, you're so cheesy Laxus!"

She quietly laughed as she looked at her new, tiny black box, carrying a very shiny silver diamond ring inside. Cana then let her cheeks fill with red after seeing the size and metal. "Wow, what is this worth like your whole contract?"

Laxus never answered and snatched it out of her hands. He then stood up. "You like it? Well no show tonight. I'm bailing on the whole thing…"

"WHAT!?" Cana stood up and watched him walk away. "AWE COME ON DON'T TELL ME IT'S MY FAULT?! THIS PLACE WAS STARTING TO GET BORING!"

Everyone looked at the now yelling Cana, but Laxus ignored her as he went to find Mira. He did want to ask her the big question, but after an hour into the party, he soon corrected his thoughts.

 _"Hell no, this place is not the right time…let's see how we finish the season."_

Cana shook her head and sat back down to finish her cocktail. "Man he's something else…hmm, I wonder where the wonder couple who decided to host this thing is…?"

* * *

Back away from the party, and inside the master bedroom, Jellal was lying flat on his king-sized bed fully clothed, and as he lied there, Erza straddled his waist and continued kissing him passionately on the lips.

After enjoying the moment for a little while, Jellal paused and looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry…what did we come back here for exactly?"

Erza smiled. "The other bathroom was occupied. _I_ came to use this on, and you were still in your pajamas watching TV." She moved her head to reveal the flashing flat screen pinned to the wall.

Jellal laughed and kept his eyes on her. "Oh, well do you mind? I was in the middle of watching something, here."

She smacked him on the arm and stood up, readjusting her black jeans and white blouse. As she left for the bathroom mirror, Jellal sat up and continued watching the cable content. The TV personalities started debating sports for some overly played athletic network.

"Well I don't know if the Fairies can do it. Laxus and Natsu seem to have things under control, but the others are still pretty rocky."

"True that, Gajeel and Jellal played lights out over these past three games, but one of them had a nice little flop during the Oaktown series to keep their record dow…"

Jellal stopped watching as Erza came out from the bathroom, and grabbed the remote from the night stand. She turned it off and threw it firmly on the bed. "Stop watching those morons. You'll lose your brain cells."

Jellal sighed. "According to them I already have."

Erza rolled here eyes and slowly sat back on the bed. Turning her body, she leaned her head onto Jellal's shoulder. "Tell me, how did you miss the shot?"

Jellal held his breath as she restated her question. Meanwhile, Erza tried again. "You don't need to hide it from me. I stood behind you the entire time, and watched your face. Something kept you distracted in the audience."

Jellal reached up and grabbed her hand that was placed between her chin and his left shoulder. "I…I thought I saw _her_ at the game."

Erza rolled her eyes. "Jellal, I told you to calm down about all that…we both agreed that you over reacted. I mean, I can't get her out of my head either sometimes, but..." She then sat up and kept herself in a very reserved posture. "...I understand you two must have had a nice relationship, and I can respect that. But that's your past, you can go ahead and…"

Jellal stopped her and put a hand under her chin.

"Relax, it was a terrible relationship…" He then leaned in and kissed her passionately on the lips. Trying to catch a breath, the confused Erza melted away in the moment, until he leaned back and grinned.

Jellal then carried on. "I mean, she only wanted me for the person I was beneath the sheets."

Erza smiled back and shoved him down on the mattress. She then stood up and walked for the door. "I'll be out in the living room. Come see your guests. After all you only have a few seconds left."

As she shut the door, Jellal looked to the clock and noticed it read _11:59_.

Then, he smiled and slowly stood up. "Don't worry Magnolia, I'll have no choice but to win you that title now...for both our sakes."

* * *

 **Well, Jellal. I hope you stick with that mini-resolution! Maybe those Fairies will fly high with you out in front! Maybe they'll even win the championship like you promise!**

 **This chapter seemed too good to be true...next one soon?**

 **Comment and review like always!**


	38. 38 - Wintertime Blues

**Author's Note: Hello! Had a hard time coming up with a title for the chapter...it's not really happy or sad, but it's sort of in between. I will say it's a lot _spicier_ than the last one! **

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Eight - Wintertime Blues

* * *

"Well that will do it for Magnolia, tonight!" Yelled the eccentric TV announcer Chapati Lola into his network microphone. "The Fairies come out on top vs the proud Oshibana Trailblazers in a miraculous 15 point win! Sure the Blazers are a western conference team, but the Fairies need all the points they can get to secure their home court advantage going into the playoffs."

His side kick Yajima nodded and smiled. "Ah I remember the good ol' days of January basketball. Everyone tried to act like it was just a regular month, but in the end it always turns into February in the blink of an eye. Then before you know it you're standing out in the regular season closer!"

Chapati laughed and began to sign off. "Right you are, Mr Yajima! Well that will do it for us tonight. Be sure to catch us tomorrow for our Saturday special header when we venture to Crocus to watch the _Roses_ host their cross-city rivals, the _Black Devils_."

As the game came to an end the Fairies and Trailblazer players respectably shook hands and slowly marched off to their locker rooms. However, a few characters remained in their seats throughout the crowd. Two notable men were Jude Heartfilia and Warrod Sequen.

Warrod began stroking his chin. "Well, quite a win for the Fairies tonight, ay Jude?"

The elder Heartfilia sighed. "I'm sorry are you being literal or facetious?"

Warrod howled with laughter. "Well you tell me? The Dragneel boy had thirty points again! And the Fullbuster kid led the game in assists…which is interesting considering they play Point Guard and Small Forward, but their stats fit the other's positions…"

Jude sighed. "Yes, I know those stats should be switched, but Natsu loves taking shots, and he's…I can't believe I'm saying this…a _natural born leader_."

Warrod smiled and nudged him on the arm. "Hehehe, I'm glad your true colors are starting to emerge. He is an exceptionally talented player. Fit for the owner's daughter, wouldn't you agree?"

Jude was starting to get annoyed. "Hmm, I'm still under the impression my daughter is in the middle of blowing off steam. I can't imagine she'll stay with him for the whole season, after all she can't once she begins her college classes…" He went to say something else, but instantly he received a phone call.

Raising an eyebrow, he looked to the phone and then opened up the call. "Hello?"

"Oh hello, Mister Heartfilia! Or should I just call you, Jude?"

"Mr. _Cream._ " Jude raised an eyebrow while he collected the voice. "Good to hear back from you. How's your father?"

The young boy on the other end of the line laughed. "Oh he's doing well. Still ruling the country I suppose."

Jude tried to smile. "Well, I can't imagine _Veronica_ is a hard country to rule, it is very tiny after all."

"Oh you are quite funny!" The Cream boy chuckled. "Listen, about our proposed deal…you're still willing to take the agreement right?"

Jude looked to Warrod with an apologetic face, and the elderly former FBA player smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder as he slowly stood up and escorted himself out.

He then continued. "Mr. Cream I'll be honest, your company's merits are very remarkable. You're investment plans for the next few years also look very impressive."

Cream let out a coy laugh. "Didn't I promise you would have nothing to fear?! We are the finest business in all of Veronica! So is it a yes? Shall I go ahead and book you a flight for a pre-meeting?"

Jude tried to fake a pleasant reaction. "Well son, I'll need to slow down that plan, after all I just returned from my last visit not too long ago, and I haven't even seen my daughter since I returned this morning. I'll get back to you with a more official answer in the near future."

Cream sounded irritated, but accepting at the same time. "Yes fine, just please hurry. After all I have a business of my own to manage…" He then lingered before hanging up.

"Also, don't be afraid to bring that _daughter_ of yours along as well. I've been told she's a very _pleasant_ individual to be around…we are the same age after all."

Jude now sounded more annoyed with Cream. "Is that so? Well hopefully you won't regret saying that. Maybe I'll take my time on the deal and re-evaluate that last thought of yours…I'll contact you when I'm ready."

"A-ah no worries! J-just keep me updated! Hehe…" Awkwardly cowering on the other end, the young boy from Veronica quickly ended the call and left Jude with a sour thought on his mind.

 _"_ _Veronica…well it wouldn't be the worst place to live…they do have acceptable colleges as well."_

* * *

Now, we find ourselves removed from the moment entirely as we arrive to the apartment residence of Levy McGarden, and her evening guest Gajeel Redfox. Gajeel sat with a group of empty beers in front of him and a sour look on his face as he watched the Fairies game come to an end.

Levy had just gotten back from her office, and was just finishing her own little meal. She then yelled from the kitchen. "So Gajeel? What game were you watching?"

Looking rather angry at the question, Gajeel responded quickly. "Wasn't really payin' attention…so don't worry about it."

Levy stopped what she was doing and started laughing. "Look, you're lucky it's only a one-game suspension! I mean…you didn't have to hit the guy."

"Mff." Gajeel grunted under his breath with anger. At his last game a group of random Phantom fans decided to buy lower level Fairies tickets to make Gajeel's performance a living nightmare. Sadly for them, their rowdiest jokester ended up on the wrong end of an end-game beat down. Levy had to use some of her negotiation skills to whittle his punishment down to a fine and single game suspension this time, but now she was worried the next time around wouldn't be so easy to brush off.

In any case, the blue haired GM laughed and walked over to join him on the couch. "Wow, what ever would you do without me? I'm always here playing the hero for your goofy shenanigans." She teased him as she sat down with a bowl of popcorn in her hand.

Gajeel stole the bowl and began eating it without her. "Yea? Could have at least gotten me another beer…"

Levy looked him in the eye with her far hand draped below the armrest. She then smiled and slowly raised it revealing a freshly opened bottle of beer and started titling it back and forth.

"Oh sorry…this one's mine." Quickly taking a sip, Levy tried enjoying it before Gajeel stole that too and began downing it quickly. Laughing at his anger, Levy laid her head down on his shoulder. "Truth be told I don't even mind it. After all I always have to make the deals after the game…and they usually get me out of those horrible press conferences. So it's sort of a win-win!"

Gajeel found the silver lining to be funny and started to grin. "God I can't tell if you hate your job, or if you just plain suck at it, but either way don't quit what you're doing, kid."

"Kid?" Levy raised her head and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We're the same age, Gajeel."

As Gajeel started scratching his head at that thought, Levy re-placed hers on his shoulders and let out a deep breath. "Ahh, well you probably saw, but we won, so hopefully all your teammates are gonna have a good weekend!"

* * *

As Gajeel and Levy continued enjoying their night in, one other members of the Magnolia Fairies was returning home from his team's big win.

"Agh, I can't believe Natsu took all those shots." Laxus said with an irritable expression on his face. "And why the hell did Gray keep feeding him the ball? It's not like everyone else was being guarded the whole time."

Venting to himself, the tall captain sighed and re-adjusted his thoughts. "Eh but what the hell? They won the game with that crap. Must be the leftovers from their days in Acalypha…" As he pulled into the private garage below his tall apartment complex, Laxus parked his massive black SUV and locked the doors as he made his way up to the lobby.

Now, opening the door to his room, Laxus quickly entered into the living room to find a sickly but still cheery Mirajane lying on the couch.

"Awe _*Achoo!*_ there's my little winner!" Mira spoke as she wiped her nose with a tissue, but still looked adorable wrapped up in a fluffy blanket alone on the couch.

Laxus went straight for the fridge. "Save it. You know I didn't want to play, tonight."

Mira rolled her eyes and giggled. "Yea, you told me you would rather stay home with me, and I told you that was a dumb idea. I mean, look! I gotta stay here and watch you win the game, so it's not like I lost out on anything!"

"Mgg..." He grunted as he popped open a beer bottle.

Mira then turned around and re-directed herself to the TV. "But, I can't say I was only watching your game. There was a good match up in Margaret Town tonight. The Lamia's lost at the last second to the Pegasus team."

"Really?" Laxus looked impressed. "Damn, they both might make the playoffs now. Come to think of it I could see us playing Margaret Town in the first or second round."

Mira tried to follow, but she started to giggle again. "Yea…I was barely watching the game until it came to an end…Oooooo one of the players on Acalypha did the sweetest thing I've ever seen!"

Laxus was worried by her giddiness and proceeded with caution. "Yea? Well what was it…?"

Mira grabbed a pillow and squeezed it against her chest. "Oooo I think his name was _Ren_? He had a really good game, but the important bit was he also appeared to be dating a girl sitting in the front row! Actually she sort of looked like one of the girls in Lucy's class…anyway you'll never guess what happened!"

"Oh brother…" Instantly Laxus' mind reverted back to the night with Cana, and how she found out Laxus was planning on proposing to Mira…eventually.

Mira took that reply as a 'go ahead' and carried on. "Oooooooo he _proposed_ to her! Right on TV! No it wasn't like that creepy guy with Juvia, but an _actual proposal_ , right after his big game, and she said yes! Ohhhh her cheeks were the same color as her pink hair, she looked soo happy to be alive!"

Laxus swallowed a lump in his throat and tried wading through the treacherous conversation. "Y-yea, but come on…those kind of relationships never last? All the cheesy stuff involved with that sort of thing, it never works."

"Yea, but I don't know, I find it kind of romantic…" Mira tried following his argument, but she began ignoring him as she drifted off into Dream Land. "Oh could you imagine if Ren would have waited for the playoffs!? What if his team would have won the championship game!? Oh he could have asked her there and…ooooooo!"

Laxus took that as a bad sign and downed his beer in one go. Throwing away the bottle, he turned down the hall. "Yea, well sounds like a fun story. Anyway my stomach's feelin bad, I'll be right back."

"Heehee, _okaaay..._ hope you don't have what I have!" Still in her own world, Mira barely heard anything he said and nodded as she laid her head down on a pillow.

Now locked away in the bathroom, Laxus found himself standing in front of the mirror while he gave himself some highly needed self-therapy. _"_ _Agh…look…let's just see where the season goes from here on out. I don't wanna jump into this sort of crap without thinking it through first."_

* * *

Now, the night went to a complete end, and the next morning we find two more Fairies wondering around the Magnolia business district.

"Ohh Gray are you sure we should be doing this? I could just start out as some minor cook somewhere in town first!"

Gray rolled his eyes as Juvia held one of his hands with two of hers. "Juvia relax, that's the plan. I just wanna let these restaurant owners know we're in the market…" He let a tiny smile crack on his face as Juvia raised an eyebrow.

She spoke up. "Hold on, do you know something I don't?"

Gray had no choice but to respond. "Eh, let's just say I met up with one of those places you said you liked…and I've been having regular conversations with him about getting you on as a chef, or even buying the place out."

"Ooooooo…" Juvia sounded like a broken record as she stopped walking for a moment, forcing Gray to awkwardly stop as well.

Finally, he brain caught up to her mouth. "OOOOOOHHH GRAY!" She had no idea if it was a good idea to jump into the business so early, but fielding options never hurt anyone before.

Besides, she was just too excited that he was the one who planned it all for her. Now holding his arm, Juva and Gray eventually made it to the restaurant in question. Its name was _The Deep Blue_ , and it found itself situated right on the shores of the large Lake Magnolia on the edge of town. Juvia took pride in all her cooking work, but out of all her styles, sea food was her specialty. She had yet to make Gray anything from her aquatic menu, but eventually she had a few ideas in mind for her first dish with him.

Excited and nervous at the same time, Juvia and Gray opened the doors and found the place to be very jam-packed with customers. Waiters and Managers ran around frantically trying to keep up with the lunch crowd, and as things lightened up for a short second, the hostess finally made her way over.

"I am so sorry for the long wait! Can I help you?"

Gray started with a grin. "Yea we had reservations for noon, under Fullbuster."

Without hesitation the girl lit up with a smile. "Oh you're Gray! Yes, or owner told us you and your girlfriend would be coming by! We have a seat in the back waiting for both of you!"

Smiling with pure joy, Juvia held his arm tighter than ever as the hostess walked them back to a nice indoor table.

Now waiting for service, Juvia and Gray decided to split an afternoon bottle of wine as they sat and talked.

"Well everyone seems nice!" Juvia said with sparkles in her eyes. "Oh at the very least this would surely be a lovely place to work at for my first job since college!"

Gray nodded and took a bread roll from their pre-dinner basket. "Yea, plus the menu looks pretty good too. I could see myself coming to support you on a regular basis."

Juvia reached out and grabbed his hand. "Oh can you imagine? You and your friends from the Fairies could come here for every lunch on Saturdays or Sundays, it would be wonderful!"

Gray laughed a little. "Yea, it mainly depends on Natsu, he's the bigger eater in the group. Not to mention Cana is a big boozer. If we're thinking the full crew we'll have to sample a few more drinks."

They both let out a little laugh until a round man with a balding head and an awkward smile walked over to greet them. "H-hello, I've been told you are Gray Fullbuster? And that would make you Miss Juvia Lockster?"

Both the young Fairies smiled and nodded, and Juvia held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir! I am really looking forward to see what this venue has to offer for my employment!"

The man held a hand behind his head. "Um, yes well I need to be clear about one recent development before we begin any further discussion."

Gray shrugged. "What, does she have to start out lower on the list? We've talked it over, it won't kill her to…"

The manager stopped Gray there. "Well no. It's about the facility all together. Unfortunately I cannot actually have this conversation with you until our new owner comes in to take his new place."

"O-oh" Juvia sounded a bit disappointed now that buying the place was off the table, but she still liked the way Gray put it just a minute ago. "Well I can be patient for an interview. When will he be in?"

The manager felt all the weight of stress lift off his shoulders as he sighed with relief. "Oh thank you for your cooperation! We looked over your resume and sample recipes, and I must say everyone on the staff was very impressed. Even the new owner, who will actually be in this weekend. His name is _Bora Sinclair_."

* * *

 _Weeell…ahem, after hearing that odd bit of news, it might be a good time to shift our focus to a later part in the evening…let's see, where can we go before things get too awkward...ahah!_

* * *

Here we find Jellal and Erza having a nice stay at home meal!

"Well, I knew you liked cooking, Jellal, but I never knew you enjoyed it this much." Erza said with a smile as she put down her fork.

The proud Jellal shrugged as he crossed his legs and finished off a glass of red wine. "Yes, well I've always tried to keep up my work in the kitchen. After all I went through a lot of terrible relationships, and I could never expect any of them to stay held together."

Erza grinned and grabbed their empty plates. "Well, I'm glad I discovered you, I may have you teach me a thing or two."

Jellal raised an eyebrow as he watched his lovely girlfriend leave. "That wouldn't be the _first_ time you told me that."

Erza rolled her eyes and began running water over the dishes, and as Jellal went to join her, he stopped and heard his phone buzzing.

"Hmm…" He pondered in his mind as he opened up the screen and looked to find a random number in his message box.

 **"** **Hello Jellal ;) I've been meaning to chat with you lately."**

Jellal's heart started skip beats as he ran the number through his head. " _This looks familiar…"_

He then replied. **"Sorry, I think you have the wrong number."**

It took little time to find a new message. **"You are so adorable…Is that the way you greet an old friend? It's** ** _Minerva_** **, I was just letting you know I'll be in town at the end of the month when the Tigers come to end the season in Magnolia."**

He almost dropped his phone with fear now running through his head. _"H-how in the hell did she find my number?"_

Before he replied, there was one more message to read.

 **"** **It will surely be a big game for both our teams…I expect to have a hug when I'm in town. xoxo"**

Jellal's blood began to boil as he went to type a reply, but before he could Erza asked him a question.

"Jellal? Who texted you?" She noticed he looked stumped and just wanted to make sure everything was alright.

 _"_ _I can't tell her who it was, she'd worry too much, and then I'd have to buy another phone…I know she doesn't actually want to see me, she's just trying to get in my head for the game...but I know I can handle this."_

Without replying to Minerva, Jellal switched his phone off. "Oh it was Natsu…he got mad none of us hung out with him after the game last night."

Erza nodded her head, but then stopped. "Um…wasn't Natsu the one who suggested we _shouldn't_ hang out? You know with Gajeel, Levy, and Mira all being absent?"

Jellal paused for a moment and shrugged. "Well…you know Natsu."

Erza stopped and looked him in the eye. She then cracked a smile. "I suppose you're right. After all it's even silly that he's texting you a whole night later." She turned back around and happily finished her last plate as Jellal sat with an empty expression on his face.

"Yes…it is a _strange_ thing indeed."

* * *

Now, we finally arrive in the apartment of Natsu and Wendy Dragneel. Natsu and Romeo Conbolt were playing a fighting video game on his super large, flat-screen TV, while Lucy and Wendy were sitting at the round dining room table with Lucy's laptop, using it to video chat with a good school friend of there's.

"Yukino that is so exciting! I'm really glad you like it there! So is it safe to say you'll be attending Saber City College this fall?" She winked at her best friend through the webcam.

Yukino delivered a shy smile as she messaged Lucy from her hotel room in Saber City. "Well, I hate to jinx anything, but…yes! I really do love it here! After all their nursing program in the number one of its kind in Fiore!"

"Yay! I'm super happy for you!" Lucy clapped her hands, and Wendy showed off a supporting smile.

Meanwhile Natsu rolled his eyes, and Romeo was left in an awkward situation as the game suddenly paused. After pausing it, Natsu then decided to get up for a moment, and as he did, he placed the controllers in Romeo's hands, and un-plugged the system from the TV. "We're gonna be right back. Moving into my room for an hour or so…or however long that video chat is gonna take."

"Uh w-we are...?" Romeo looked at a giggling Wendy, and Natsu used his other hand to grab Romeo by the collar and drug him back to the other room.

Lucy stuck her tongue out at Nastu, while Wendy then leaned over to look at Yukino. "I'm happy for you too, Yukino! It sounds amazing there!

Yukino started to blush with all the support from her friends. "Awe, you both are far too kind…anyway that's all I had to say."

Before she shut down the call, Lucy started to smile. "Hold on, that's not all…Meldy told me you met a few people while you were in town?"

Yukino forced a very embarrassed smile as she tried covering it up. "O-oh I have no idea what you…"

"Ah come on!" Lucy begged. "Go ahead and tell us before Natsu comes in…you met a _boy_ didn't you?"

Yukino brought her legs closer to her chest as she sat on her hotel bed and began to smile further. "Um...yes, I may have met a nice guy while I was out with a group of people I met in the program. We went out for drinks, and there he was…hehe."

Lucy and Wendy laughed, and hugged each other while Lucy took the lead. "I'm so hearing more about this! What's he like? Is he a student?"

Yukino wanted to go ahead and tell her, but her expression seemed to go sour rather quick. "Um, he's not a student."

Lucy interrupted her. "Well tell him the Tigers will be in Magnolia at the end of the month! He can by you tickets to the end of the season finale here in town!"

Yukino started to look guilty. "Um, actually…he already did."

"O-oh." Lucy was taken back a bit. "Well, will I get to meet him?"

"Well, maybe…?" Yukino started to slow her conversation down. "He'll actually be _playing_ in the game?"

"Really…?" Lucy had to collect the thought for a moment, but as soon as Wendy saw the look in Yukino's eyes, her own grew three times their normal size.

"Oh no…Yukino is it who I think it is?" Wendy didn't want to ask, but now Lucy was curious as to who they were referring to.

Yukino took a large gulp and mustered enough courage to explain her new date. "Well…let's just say he doesn't get along with Natsu very well…and it also might be _Sting Eucliffe."_

* * *

 **Well there were a lot of activities, and we're getting into some time-skips now! Just trying to keep things from getting too boring in the mid-winter zone.**

 **1.) Jude...just what the hell are you doing? (FYI: "Mr. Cream" and "Veronica" both come from the _Fairy Tail Movie: Phoenix Priestess_ )**

 **2.) GaLe seem like they had a good night. Gajeel keeps getting in trouble, but Levy enjoys bailing him out...**

 **...Guys am I doing GaLe alright!? I've gotten at least one comment for the other main ships, and I know GaLe is pretty mellow to begin with (both in real Fairy Tail and in my story), but I'm just wondering. I'll be honest they're not supposed to be the dramatic couple, more of the normal one...which isn't a bad thing.**

 **3.) Miraxus! I see Laxus is still fiddling with his certain romantic plan. I wonder what he'll end up deciding...?**

 **4.) Gruvia...GOD DAMN IT, IS BORA BACK!? We'll find more out eventually!**

 **5.) Jerza...GOD DAMN IT, IS _MINERVA_ BACK!? We'll find more out eventually! ...actually that one is a definite _yes_.**

 **6.) NaLu and RoWen had a boring night, cause the next chapter will involve them (one more than the other, sadly.) Judging by the conversation between Lucy, Wendy, and Yukino I feel like you all know what will happen...**

 **Okay fun! the story will slowly shift into the early playoffs from here! Guys I really want to end this by the end of the month, so hopefully I'll remain timely for chapter releases! Until next time!**

 **Review and comment?**


	39. 39 - The Most Awkward Night

**Author's Note: Hello gang, I have a new chapter!**

 **Man, ya know those horrible moments when you have to share a meal with people you hate? Well I have two of those moments in one chapter for ya! (Eh, maybe 1 and 1/2. The first one is just coffee.) Enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Nine - The Most Awkward Night of their Lives

* * *

It has now been several weeks since the events from the last chapter. The season was winding down, and all the league seeds were being placed with every team as the FBA began its transition into the basketball playoffs.

 _HOWEVER!_ …Before anyone gets too ahead of themselves, there still remains _one_ game on every schedule. Most of the games finished up on a Thursday evening, but one was seen as a very integral match up and quickly moved to the weekend.

One game, Saturday night, end of the regular season. The Saber City Tigers would make their trip to the City of Fairies, where they would take on the Magnolia team of the same name. Saber City held the series 1-0, but now this was a big game for both teams. Not only was Magnolia one game away from securing home-court advantage in their first game of the playoffs, they needed this win tomorrow vs Saber City in order to make the playoffs at all!

 _AND,_ Saber City was the only team worthy to compete with the Tartaros Devils! Having neutralized their record with the Devils, the Tigers had a chance to take the first seed in the West, and would ultimately sit atop the pool heading into Crocus. However, the game needed to be decided before anything else could advance. In any case, we now find ourselves on a cold Friday night in Magnolia, where one young couple is staying in to save themselves from the miserable February weather outside their window.

Juvia slowly cooked a nice stew as she paced back in forth inside her kitchen at Gray's apartment. She had barely passed her last cooking exam, and the new stress with Bora snatching up the building market was keeping her un-steady. Apparently the wicked man had done a fairly good job at tracking Gray and Juvia's shopping list when it came to restaurants. As a result, he made an offer to each and every building that needed a new manager (ironically every one that Juvia applied to as well.)

Now Juvia has been worried for over a month, because not only is she stressed out about the situation, her boyfriend Gray has been acting completely normal the entire time.

"Gray…dinner is almost ready."

The calm dark haired boy nodded from the couch as he kept his head lying down on a pillow.

Juvia started to bit her nails. "Sweetie…did you hear about my exam today?"

Gray answered back, but tried to keep up his tiny nap. "Yea, you gotta C. Just calm down next time and I'm sure you'll do fine."

Juvia started pacing again. "Then what? I'll just let Bora be my boss no matter where I apply!? It's bad enough he stalled on paying my last tuition bill…he told me he transferred the address before I left, but he only recently did it after I yelled at him over the phone."

She was right, Bora neglected to pay her last tuition bill before the account switched just to spite her, and it wasn't leaving Juvia any calmer than before.

In any case, Gray kept his head down. "Yea? Well the college waved the late fee. Just relax, babe. You'll pass school, and maybe be his boss if he decides to actually stay in the restraint business…wait why is he doing this again, anyway?"

Juvia never answered. "I'm sorry…It's just normally you're angrier than I am about this stuff. It's almost like…" Juvia stopped thinking and looked his way.

"You _know_ something I don't."

Gray opened his eyes and tried to roll over, but as he did Juvia ran over and looked him right in the face.

"Gray…why have you been so calm about all this?"

Finally, the unusually shy Gray let out a breath. "Okay…I may have had a chat with Bora…"

 _~Several weeks ago_

 _"_ _So just give it a rest, man! We're living fine together, and this is the first crap I've had to deal with!" Gray argued with Bora over a coffee table inside a town café as he tried to make his point clear._

 _Bora didn't really want to show up, but did anyway. As a result he leaned back and shrugged. "I have no idea what you're on about? I'm just trying my hand at the restaurant business…after all my new wife is doing her best to become a world class chef." He grinned and pulled up a picture of a very well-built blond haired, blue eyed girl around his arms._

 _"_ _Isn't she just the best? She's from Acalypha. Her name's Jenny…I think. Anyway, you can't blame me for wanting in on this market? After living with two cooks for three years, I begin to acquire new tastes in businesses."_

 _Gray let out a groan. "Ugh, you are insane! How the hell are you affording all of this, anyway!?"_

 _"_ _HA!" Bora laughed, and decided to tell him. "Easy, I wager money on the FBA finals each year, and my savings from last year's big Tartaros game earned me a large amount, fit for a new restaurant." Normally that is something he'd keep a secret, but since it happened to involve Gray's field of work, he tried to get the Small Forward to take the bait._

 _Gray rolled his eyes. "Ugh, let me guess, you're betting on them again this year?"_

 _"_ _You're a smart man." Bora grinned. "After all they are the best team in the league. You'd know that if those motley Fairies of yours ever played…" Bora tried to keep up a smile, until Gray had one of his own._

 _Then, Gray spoke. "Wait…what's gonna happen if those losers never take home the trophy?"_

 _Bora never spoke as he backed up uncomfortably. This isn't how he wanted Gray to react. "Oh they'll win, don't count on them losing anything from here on out."_

 _As Bora was actually starting to look a little uneasy, Gray stood up from his seat and grinned._

 _"_ _Actually, I think I might do just that…"_

 _~Back to the Present._

Juvia sat patiently in another chair as Gray finished up his story. "S-so, Bora needs that extra money to sign off his next payment?"

Gray nodded with his eyes closed and his arms behind his head. "Yea, I have no idea why the bank is letting him stall the thing, or the restaurants for that matter. He must know them personally. Anyway, long story short if Tartaros loses the season Bora can't buy the place."

Juvia stopped breathing, but then let out a little smile. "And…you're not going to let them win, are you…?"

Gray cracked open on eye and smiled. "It depends…we gotta get through tomorrow, first."

* * *

Now, we find another athlete ready for tomorrow's games walking down the street. This time however, the boy hailed from Saber City, and with him was the lovely Yukino Agria dressed in a white snow jacket and dark jeans.

"Sting, you seem tense." Yukino rubbed his arm as they walked down the cold but busy Friday streets of Magnolia.

The blond point guard for Saber City kept his head turned away from her. "I dunno…just have a bad feeling about this date you got us into."

Yukino bit her lip and tried to calm him down. "Oh calm down, please! I mean the name is only _Fairy Tail_ , that doesn't mean any of the players will be there…hehe."

She then spotted the door, and right away Sting stepped over and opened it for her, nodding while she entered. Yukino quickly gauged the room looking for her close friend, and as the crowd looked to be very large she just managed to see a waving blonde girl with pig tails looking right back at her.

"Hey we're over here!" Lucy shouted from a booth seat on the other side of the room. Yukino sighed with relief because Lucy's guest wasn't visible until you got to the table, which worked out because all's she had to do was make it there.

Sting swallowed a lump in his throat as he and Yukino passed through a very angry crowd of Fairies fans that seemed to recognize the cocky little Tiger, and the whole walk over he kept his hand connected with Yukino's. Finally, the two made it over, and as Yukino and Sting rounded to the empty side of the booth, Sting finally laid eyes on Lucy and her guest.

Natsu stopped eating appetizers and widened his eyes three times the normal size as he stood up and frantically pointed, and as he did Sting mimicked his every move.

"WHAT THE HELL IS _*HE*_ DOING HERE!?"

Their unison raid of yells almost stopped the entire bar full of people from enjoying the night, until Yukino softly pushed Sting into the booth, and Lucy not-so-softly yanked Natsu back down into his seat.

Both point guards started pouting like children as a nervous Yukino and an angry Lucy looked there way.

Then Lucy spoke. "You two are ridiculous! I bet if you just talked once in a while, you'd probably enjoy each other! Heck you play the same position, which means you're bound to have some things in common!"

"Yea…" Natsu said with a passive face. "Like how we both have crappy girlfriends."

Sting never changed his face, but he did provide Natsu with a laugh that carried over the table, prompting both Lucy and Yukino to smack their arms.

Yukino actually felt sorry for hitting her very new boyfriend and tried to talk things over. "Oh please just do it for us! We can just have one little night of a simple conversations."

Sting rolled his eyes. "Yea? Well just make sure the untamed dragon over there doesn't bite my head off."

Lucy let out a laugh. "Okay, I'm not sure what made him push you into the stands from that last game, but I'm sure it wasn't that big of…"

Natsu replied. "Oh that? Yea he was actually talking about you, Lucy." Natsu kept his chin leaning on his fists and his eyes turned into the wall, and as a result Lucy had no comment. She was torn between defending herself from Sting (whatever he said) and smiling because of Natsu sticking up for her before they were in a relationship. "Oh…w-well I can bury the hatchet if you two can bury each other's."

The table grew quiet until the waitress finally came over. "Okay everyone, what will we be having for drinks?"

No one spoke until Lucy rolled her eyes and looked to an unresponsive Natsu. "You know what? I'd like a tall beer, please. Just because my boyfriend _loves_ it when I drink." She said with sarcasm. He didn't actually hate it, he was just nervous when she drank too much…

Yukino then softly spoke next. "Um I guess I'll have one of those too…?"

The waitress laughed and wrote down the orders. "I assume everyone wants waters with these. And for the boys?"

No one said a word…that is until both Natsu and Sting spoke at the same time.

"Give me a tall red ale."

That similarity prompted the two boys to slowly look each other in the eye, and as the waitress signed off on the order, Sting looked at Natsu's plate.

"Well…here let me have some of those." Sting snapped with a demanding tone in his voice as he grabbed Natsu's nacho chips and began eating some. Natsu went to raise a fist until Lucy grabbed it. He then tried to deliver his best smile as both his eyes twitched.

"Y-yea _buddy_ , you go right ahead…"

* * *

As the night went on, and the alcohol flowed like water, the 3 Magnolia locals and single Tiger actually began enjoying the night. So much so that after dinner, the two couples eventually managed to head out and enjoy some of the other bars and clubs out and around town. Lucy and Yukino waited at a high table inside and uptown night club while Sting and Natsu went to collect the drinks in the new, youthful bar. As they did, the two girls began to chat.

"I can't believe they're actually starting to like each other!" Lucy smiled with her previous drink still in hand.

Yukino let out a grin as well. "I know! I'm so happy for them! They were acting like children for a second there…but now they seem like teammates."

Lucy nodded and tried to lean in closer to avoid the loud music. "So where are your seats tomorrow? You could have just sat with me in my dad's booth!"

Yukino looked guilty, but smiled either way. "I know, and I'm sorry! Sting just wanted me to meet some of his friends. He got me tickets with the coach's daughter. Actually, she came in to see someone tomorrow as well. I guess one of the Fairy players?"

Lucy looked intrigued. "Really? Wow that's interesting. Maybe she's dating someone!"

The white haired friend shrugged, and downed the last of her drink that was actually pretty full. Lucy laughed and slapped her on the arm. "Woah, where did _this_ come from!?"

Yuknio, who usually acted timidly around parties, let out a proud blush at her new alcoholic tolerance. "I don't know, I suppose I could have learned it at your party back in October!"

Lucy nodded and held up the rest of her own drink. "Well, I guess I can't let you beat me!" She then downed her drink as well and clashed her empty glass with Yukino's

Meanwhile, as Natsu and Sting slowly wobbled back to their ladies with the drinks tightly in their hands.

"So you and your sister just live there by yourselves? Dude that's so rad!" Sting nodded as Natsu talked about his apartment.

"I know! She's dating some small fry in her grade, but the kid seems cool. We play video games together, hehe."

Sting smiled and tried keeping up his wobbly balance. "Damn, sounds like a nice little group you got there! Plus you're tellin me all you fairies go out after every game!?"

Natsu nodded and went ahead and started on his new beverage. "Yup! Every game we have drinks at Fairy Tail!"

Sting looked envious. "Wow, I'm super jealous about that. I can't even get Rogue to go out, let alone the rest of them. I think he has some weird thing for our coach's daughter, but she's too scary for him to ask her out. Plus, I have those nut jobs Rufus an Orga, which stinks cause Orga's pretty funny when you get him to do drunken karaoke!"

Natsu laughed. "NO WAY! Gajeel does that too!" They both tapped glasses and took a new drink.

As they finished, Sting slowed down the walk. "Hey listen man. I know I apologized to Lucy about that crap I said back in our last game, but I never said anything to you."

Natsu waved his hand. "Man, don't even worry about it. As far as I'm concerned that hatchet is six feet under!"

Natsu howled and started walking to the table, but Sting lingered for a moment and let out a tiny grin.

 _"_ _No shit? Man, I was wrong about you Natsu…you're a pretty cool dude after all."_

* * *

Eventually the night turned into more drinking and partying, and sooner or later both couples decided to call it a night. The four kids could barely walk, and as Natsu and Lucy waved good bye, Yukino and Sting jumped into a cab that was set to take him back to his hotel, and her back to…eh we can just assume they went home with each other.

Now, a very intoxicated Natsu started walking down the now half-busy streets of Magnolia with and equally tipsy Lucy under his arm. Both laughed like young lunatics as Lucy let out a faint giggle. "Ya see?! I t-told ya Sting would be a nice boyfriend for ya!"

Natsu shook his head but kept laughing. "Oh no way, we're not like that at all! Still though…the dude was actually pretty cool."

Lucy began to blush as she leaned in closer in their stumble home. "You're so adorable, Nastu. Making new friends with a kid you hated just a few hours before."

Natsu tipped his head and kept his grin. "I know, and I try!" They then both slowed the walk as they each looked into each other's eyes. Now, stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, Natsu lowered his head and planted a firm kiss right on Lucy's lips, and she returned by pulling him down to secure their position.

As the few pedestrians around them began to whistle and holler, the two young romantics ignored them and continued kissing, but as Nastu spun them around, Lucy eye's opened right on the sign over head.

 ** _"_** ** _1_** ** _st_** ** _Street Tattoo Parlor and Piercing Shop"_**

Instantly she gasped with joy and felt a horrible idea rush into her brain. "Oh no way! I just got the perfect idea…!"

Natsu leaned back with a curious expression and looked her way. "Um…what?"

Lucy reached up and grabbed his right shoulder, but because he had a coat on, she had to tell him in words.

"I want one…a tattoo from the Fairies."

Natsu let out a tiny laugh. "From the Fairies…? Y-you mean a tattoo of the Fairy emblem like mine?" He started scratching his head and began teasing her. "Luce, only _players_ can get these!"

Lucy looked at him with soft eyes. "Well…what about the owner's daughter?"

As she lingered in his drunken arms Natsu tried putting all the idiotic pieces together in his head. Then, he spoke.

"Lucy, that isn't a good idea…"

She now looked sad as her head lowered to look at the ground below, but as it did, Natsu's grin grew three times its normal size.

"…because it's totally a _GREAT ONE_! LET'S GET YOU ONE RIGHT NOW!"

"REALLY!?" Lucy let out a giggling cheer as she turned and grabbed his arm. "OKAY! H-hehe, boy, now I have to think of a color! I bet my daddy will _love_ this! After all, it is his basketball team, and he sure loves them, right…!?"

* * *

 **Oh no...kids this is a learning experience for all you young drinkers reading this story out there...just don't do it.**

 **Man, I hope the game goes well tomorrow, cause everything else (Gray's promise to Juvia, Minerva stalking Jellal, Sting and Natsu's oddly nice relationship, Lucy's new...gift.) seems like it's about to hit the fan.**

 **Comment and review like always!**


	40. 40 - Endgame: Fairies vs Tigers

**Author's Note: Hello! Wow what a chapter I have for you today! Big basketball one, Fairies vs Tigers.**

 **Also, did anyone read the Fairy Tail manga yesterday!? It was awesome, except for one little scene in the middle...it was kinda hard to read, lol.**

 **In other news today's my birthday, so there's also that! _Woooooo!_ Chapter 40 on April 5th!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Forty - End Game: Fairies vs. Tigers

* * *

Lucy awoke with a terrible headache; a feeling that usually accompanied her after horrible nights of…intoxicated fun?

Anyway, she was very dizzy, and in fact had no idea where she was. She also didn't want to get up because as she moved, Lucy could feel Natsu holding onto her from behind. Keeping her eyes closed, she grabbed his arms and brought them in closer to wrap herself up in the warmth. Judging by her observation, they were both still clothed, so nothing too romantic happened last night, but as the moment passed, she also noticed something else.

They were not lying in a bed, but instead on a hard, scratchy floor with brownish red carpet. Lucy had no idea what it was at first, and tried ignoring it while she attempted to fall back asleep, but as she rolled into Natsu's arms, her sides started hurting from the overly firm and un-movable floor beneath her.

Then, she cracked her eyes for the first time, and as she did Lucy's gaze met with a very obscure object. It was the legs of an old, brown desk, and a chair behind it. Lucy's heart started beating faster and faster as she soon recognized the smell of the room all around her.

"Crap…Natsu wake up!" She whispered as she took his arms and began shaking them in fear. "I think we're in my dad's office. We must have come back to my place last night and…"

Then it hit her. As she listened to the sounds outside, this was not in fact her dad's office. At least it wasn't his _home_ office. Lucy's head shot up and looked right out the closed curtained window. She stood up and ran right to open them up, and as they split the sight Lucy was greeted with was none other than the downtown Magnolia City Skyline.

"Oh no…we're in his _stadium office_." She fell to the floor without turning around, and as her knees hit carpet Natsu sat up and stretched his arms.

"AGH! Eh mornin' Lu…cy? Eh, where are we?"

"Ahem…"

Natsu stopped thinking, and Lucy's heart stopped beating as they both heard an older man clearing his throat from the other side of the room. Lucy didn't want to turn around, so instead she lowered her head, and regretfully let the mysterious figure continue.

"Well kids, I have no idea how you managed to get inside Jude's office, or for that matter the building…but I will say you're damned lucky I'm the first one in the stadium each morning."

Lucy's head rose up in a jolt, and turned to see Coach Makarov Dreyar sitting in an arm chair along the left side of the room. The door was also opened to the office, meaning he must have recently come in to find the two drunkards sitting on the floor.

Lucy sighed with embarrassment, and as she tried pushing off the ground to rise to her feet, her right hand started to hurt. "Ow! Why is my hand…?" She wondered until her eyes met a coil of white bandages wrapped around her right hand. Lucy's heart continued beating faster and faster, and as the pain finally settled down, she slowly unwrapped what appeared to be a very nicely drawn image of a pink Magnolia Fairies emblem inked into her arm, still a little swollen and puffy from the night before.

"WHEN THE HELL DID I GET THIS!?" She shouted with pure shock and fear, causing Natsu to fall over in terror and even made Makarov jump out of his seat.

Then, Natsu saw the tattoo and immediately howled with laughter. "BAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MAN YOU GOT A TATTOO!"

"I DON'T WANT IT THOUGH!" She sobbed comically into her hands and pleaded to her boyfriend. "NATSU TAKE IT OFF RIGHT NOW!"

He was now rolling around on the floor of the office. "Ahahaha sorry I hear that stuff costs double, and it hurts twice as much too." He had no idea if these were truths or lies, but it was all funny to him none the less. "Oh wow we must have had a good night to get you that, _AND_ break into your pop's work space! Ah that's the kind of date night I look for in a girlfriend!"

Lucy ignored his glee and cried loudly more and more. "Why me…WHY DID I HAVE TO BE THE IDIOT TO START DATING YOU!?"

Makarov rolled his eyes as the teenage drama unfolded. "Well you children will want to leave the office soon, after all I suppose Jude will be here any minute. It's safe to say you've learned your lesson…or at least _one_ of you has."

* * *

After a very sour morning in the Magnolia Stadium we now arrive to the game of the season. Fairies vs Tigers, the last match up of the regular season. A Fairy Win secures their playoff hopes, while a Tiger win may jump them ahead of Tartaros. In either case both teams were rightfully ready to play. The South Gate stadium filled with fans of both sides, but the home town Magnolias made sure to show up for this momentous occasion.

Now, we turn up to the central booth. Today there were only four people sitting in this section; Jude Heartfilia, his esteemed guest Warrod Sequen, Levy McGarden, and the timid daughter, Lucy Heartfilia. Lucy had decided to keep her mittens on after coming inside from the cold, but her hands were starting to heat up and as a result she had to take them off, revealing a very suspicious set of bandages wrapped around her right palm.

Levy raised an eyebrow as Lucy looked away. "Eh…just don't ask."

Her blue haired friend giggled and gave her a smile. "Relax, I'm sure it's a good story for later…besides I don't think you have to worry. Your dad seems pretty on edge about something else for some reason tonight."

"Yea, he does…" Lucy looked over to see Jude and Warrod looking down at the court with different expressions tonight, and the entire sight left her with a funny feeling inside her chest.

On the other end of the booth, Warrod let out a laugh. "Well, this is it. The regular season comes to an end after this game."

Jude nodded and replied. "I suppose so. After this is over with, we can continue our season long discussion. Perhaps we can even take it to the next step of negotiations?"

As the four Fairy fans prepped for the game, both Fairies and Tigers readied themselves down on the court. Natsu had his team surrounding him in a huddle on one bench, while Sting did the same on the other.

"Okay guys!" Natsu yelled out. "We got some good opponents today, but let's not let it keep us down! We wanna go out there and prove we can win this game, and the finals!"

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Natsu. You're actually complimenting the opposing team tonight…and of all the teams?" Gray was familiar with the nasty relationship between Sting and Natsu because he had grown up with it. He then looked over to Sting doing a very similar cheer in his ring.

"Alright guys! We can't go in under estimating the Fairies tonight! They're good, but we gotta win this for Saber city, hell even the League!"

Orga howled. "Are you kidding me!? You hate the Fairies more than all of us! Why are you so giddy to play a fair game?"

Rufus let out a grin. "Hmm, perhaps he's been feeling rather sympathetic for his enemies on all fronts? After all it would explain your lack luster performances these past few weeks, Sting."

Sting let out an angry sound, but waved it away. "Agh guys! Knock it off! We have to just go out there and play on their level, if not higher!"

Rogue shrugged. "I suppose this is now or never for all of us. We are the only team who can stop Tartaros."

Sting put his hand in to wait for the others. "Exactly! Ain't no one gonna take this season away from us!"

"ONE TWO THREE, _TIGERS!_ " They released and ran out onto the court, and as they did the Fairies mimicked the call.

"ONE TWO THREE, _FAIRIES!_ " Natsu broke the huddle and just like that the game was ready to begin. Without hesitation, Mest nodded, waited for Orga and Laxus to take their places, and eventually he threw up the ball for tip off.

The buzzer sounded, and right away Laxus secured the ball for Natsu behind him. The Fairies switched to offense, and as soon as they all made it to the right side of the court Natsu called a play.

"Okay! We'll go Kardia on five!" He timed a few dribbles and then went into motion as his teammates responded. Sting tried his best to keep up, but Natsu was too fast and immediately switched hands, passing it off to Gray Fullbuster. Gray took the ball and spun around Rogue, and as he did he let up a long ranged two point jumper and sunk the basket for the first shot of the night.

"AND THE FAIRIES TAKE FIRST BLOOD! 2-0, Magnolia!" Max Alors rang out with delight as the home fans cheered in celebration.

One however cheered even louder as she sat down with her cousin. "WAY TO GO SWEETIE! KEEP SHOOTING!"

Medly giggled and looked to Juvia. "You so sweet with him! Maybe he'll make the last shot just for you!"

Juvia smiled. "Yes, perhaps he just might. Anyway thank you for telling us about the open tickets, Yukino. I'm glad we could sit down here with you."

Yukino looked over to Meldy and Juvia and smiled. "Oh not a problem at all! My friend Minerva was supposed to sit here with me, but she decided to sit down with her father on the bench tonight. Then the second seat opened up as well, so I figured I needed to act quickly."

Both girls nodded with delight and looked back to the court, and as they did Sting had just delivered a flawless pass off to the shooter Rufus, who flawlessly made a three point shot and took an early lead. Now, Natsu led the offensive rebuttal and marched down the field. Ball in hand, he spun around both Sting and the Power Forward Dobengal to deliver a quick pass to Gajeel, who jumped up and slammed it down for an easy two. Back and forth the lead changed, and the time ticked lower and lower. Natsu took the ball down with a six point deficit, and as he shot up a failed three pointer, Laxus grabbed the rebound and sent it out to Jellal.

The handsome Shooting Guard felt a new wave of confidence flowing through his veins, because as he made the shot, he found Minerva looking his way with a sly grin. Eyeing her with pride, he kept looking her way as he sunk a beautiful three point shot. The crowd went nuts, and Erza was taken away because she clearly saw Jellal glaring at Minerva instead of looking at his mark.

 _"_ _Well…that was impressive, but I hope he doesn't get too distracted with her sitting there."_ She wanted to be happy, but knowing Minerva's crafty personality none of this sat well with her at all.

On the opposite note Makarov cracked a smile. "Seems Jellal has conquered some inner demons. I wonder where this man was hiding for the past few weeks?"

Erza had no choice but to smile, and then looked on to see Gajeel stuff Dobengal at the other end.

"GAJEEL PASS IT!" Levy yelled furiously from the mid-section booth. Lucy giggled and looked her way.

"I don't think he can hear you." She said with a smile. "Plus I have a good feeling he knows what he's doing."

Levy sighed. "I suppose so. He just need to…" She stopped and smiled with Lucy as Gajeel stopped on his run, passed it back to Natsu, and counted an assist as the pink haired Salamander delivered his second dunk of the season.

"AWE!" Lucy and Levy hugged, which made Warrod laugh, and caused Jude to shift in his seat.

Meanwhile, down in a lower section of the stadium.

"GO NATSU!" Wendy stood up with waving hands as she sat with her new boyfriend Romeo, his dad Macao Conbolt, and his uncle Wakaba Mine.

She then sat down cheering and grabbed his hand in an instant. "Thanks again for taking me to the game!"

Romeo paused. "Um, no problem, but this kinda feels silly. Don't you usually just sit with Lucy?" He asked with confusion.

Wendy let out a blush and another smile as she grabbed his hand. "Yea, but this works too! These seats are amazing!"

Romeo let out a tiny grin of his own, and as he did Macao laughed and leaned over to Wakaba. "Well hey, maybe we shouldn't have come with them. I'd hate to cramp their style."

Wakaba laughed. "Nah, you're the one crampin their style. I feel like I'm improving it…but eh I can go grab a smoke at half. Give the love birds a moment to themselves."

Then, the stadium erupted again as Orga on the Tigers let down a serious dunk, nearly rupturing the rim. That ended half with the Tiger's up by 2, and as the teams cleared Orga walked up to Max behind the booth and looked to the closest ring of Fairies fans. Now standing up on the scoring desk, Orga began singing into the mic. "You other players think, that you're really cool, but we're so strong we're gonna make you drool! There ain't no stopping the Saber City Team, you losers can try BUT YOU'RE GONNA BE _CREEEAMED!_ "

Fans were booing and throwing popcorn, hotdogs, and all the food they could get as he quickly jumped off the desk and slowly walked back to the locker room. Max then re-took his mic. "Um…well that was a nice bit of karaoke singing…back after the half!"

Now, after a re-adjusted half, the already confident Fairies came out with a new flame under their wings. Natsu waited patiently as Sting brought the ball down court, and as he went to cross over, Natsu barely tapped it out and sent it flying to the center.

"GRAY!" He yelled, waiting for the scrappy Small Forward to run up and barely get two hands on the ball. Now falling over, Gray turned and delivered a pass before he could be called for travelling, and as he threw it the rock landed right into Gajeel's hands.

"I got this, punks!" He said with a laugh as he ran away from the others. However, he wasn't the fastest Fairy on the team, and as a result had to ditch possession before Dobengal caught up from behind.

Jellal now held the ball, but as he went to administer a pass, Rogue blocked it, and threw it back down to his point guard.

"STING!" He yelled, and as the ball flew the blonde PG grabbed it, cut away from Nastu and let up a long shot. Saber City now held a 4 point lead, but that didn't last long as Laxus charged it down the court. Going up for a dunk, he managed to draw a foul under the rim form the meat headed Orga, getting two points and the one shot after.

Easily making the free throw (due to his Grandfather scolding him about foul shots as a kid because EVERYONE KNOWS THEY'RE THE _MOST IMPORTANT_ ELEMENT OF THE GAME…ahem sorry I was getting off topic…) Laxus made the shot without flaw, and narrowed the lead by 1.

The lead changed many timed in the third quarter, and even stayed small during the fourth. Tension began to rise in the stadium, and all the fans looked on with nerves as the clock slowly trickled lower and lower into the last few minutes.

Gray held the ball after a time out, and as he scanned the filed, he noticed only a four point deficit between the Saber lead and their own standings. Then, Mest blew the whistle and let Gray pass the ball into Natsu. Natsu took the ball down, but slowly weighed his options as Sting lingered back.

 _"_ _Hmm…I could go ahead and shoot the ball now, get three points, but what if I miss? I can't expect Laxus or Gajeel to get every rebound…"_ Then, his eyes found a lower level score board.

 _"_ _Wait…we're in the Bonus…"_ He then grinned, and utilized Stings faulty defense to take his own shot. The three pointer floated until it actually managed to go into the rim. Natsu cheered like a maniac as Coach Giemma on Saber City called a time out, leaving under two minutes remaining on the clock.

Lucy grinned and leaned over to her dad. "Maybe _now_ you'll invite him over for dinner?" She felt courageous enough to tease him about a recent request, because he wasn't mad at her for the tattoo just yet.

Jude raised an eyebrow and never responded. He then observed both teams wondering back onto the court. Sting took the ball down the court and tried to make a few switch backs before passing it off to Rogue. Rogue got stopped by Gray and had no choice but to pass it back to Sting. Feeling greedy, Sting then worked the perimeter and finally gave it to Rufus, and was hoping the Tiger Shooting Guard would use the moment as an opportunity to easily raise the deficit. However, Rufus laughed as he saw Orga waving his hands like a compete fool down court.

"Hmm…if you insist." He shrugged and spun around his nearest Fairy, then passed the ball to an open Orga. Now looking cocky, Orga smiled and tried to pivot around for a dunk, but as he did, he moved Laxus from a firmly established position of play. Lahar blew his whistle and signaled for the charge, and as the fans erupted, Orga couldn't stop his heavy body from falling, smashing into the left arm of a Fairy below.

"AGHHHH!" Laxus cried out with pain as he heard his left wrist snap from the fall. Mest and Lahar then both frantically blew their whistles and pulled Orga up to see Laxus holding his left wrist.

"GYAH! You fat ass!" Laxus yelled in anger. "When they call the fucking foul, stop playing!"

"Watch it Laxus." Mest reinforced with a snappy attitude. "It was clearly an accident. Can we get a trainer over here?!"

A crew of Magnolia trainers walked over to observe the situation. Everyone held their breath, but Mirajane of all people kept two hands over her mouth trying not to believe what she was seeing. Makarov sighed and went ahead and called the next move. "Bickslow you'll go in to take the free throws…as for who will take his spot for the remainder of the game? Well I guess it's your turn to suit up, Elfman."

Freed, Bickslow, and the others all looked to the rookie Elfman, who took a large gulp and stood tall.

"Alright then! Time to put on my manly pants!"

Bickslow laughed. "I dunno what those are, but if they get us the win then sure why not!"

Laxus cleared the floor, and Bickslow, who usually sat as the reserved shooting guard, walked up to the line. He sent up an easy one-and-one shot, but only managed to secured the first, bringing the lead down to three.

Now, as Bickslow left the court, Elfman tagged him out. Fans recognized their home town favorite from last year's FCAA College Basketball tournament and howled with support as he entered the field. Also, Mira and Lisanna held hands as the former let out a loud yell. "OOOO! YOU CAN DO IT ELF!"

"Psh, he better!" Evergreen turned her blushing cheeks as Cana started to grin.

"HA! You're so lame, ever." Cana laughed, but felt just as fired up. " KICK SOME ASS, ELFMAN!"

Now, the game started back up, and right away Saber City made their move. Sting quickly tried taking the game in his own hands, but as he did the scene was moving too fast.

 _"_ _Okay…we can do this…man…agh damn it why can't I focus!?"_ He looked around at all the diehard screaming Magnolia fans, and it made him stop and think for a moment. However, Natsu wasn't going to let him, and right then the swift Fairy tipped the ball and ran down to secure an easy layup, watching the lead sink into 1 and the time drop down to 30 seconds.

Giemma called another time out and grabbed Sting by the shoulders. "You little jackass! Hold the ball, draw a foul…end the fucking game."

All the other Tigers held their breaths, and Sting looked down to the court with eyes of anger. Minerva then laughed and stepped up. "What he means to say is try not to choke two times in a row. After all this Tiger team of yours is the only team that can defeat Tartaros…right?"

Sting didn't like the sarcasm and rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Then, Lahar blew his whistle, and just like that Rogue passed the ball to Sting. Now taking more time to collect the situation, he waited around the arc for Natsu to make a move.

 _"_ _Natsu will try and foul, he's too reckless not to. He's done it before, anyway…"_ He waited, but never received a move from the Salamander.

In fact, none of the Fairies were really moving, which didn't help Sting's already jogged mind settle down.

 _"_ _Gyah, what the hell are they doing…don't tell me they've given up!?"_ He yelled inside his mind, yet still, no one move.

 _"_ _I mean…maybe we're not the only team who can beat Tartaros…"_ That thought ended as Natsu finally lunged forward.

 _Less than 10 seconds left._

Natsu fell in his tip attempt, but barely got a finger on it as he tried to deliver the bounce to Gajeel. Gajeel laughed and took the ball, but he didn't hold it for long.

"THIS IS YOUR'S BIG GUY!" He laughed and tossed it to an open Elfman running in the middle of the court. The Saber's had no idea what to expect as they never saw Elfman play before. Sting, Rogue, and Giemma all yelled with anger as the white haired tank marched down the court unopposed.

 _Three seconds left._

Elfman tried to collect his thoughts as the stadium of screaming fans yelled like crazy people, and even Mira and Lisanna were jumping frantically at the other end, with Evergreen behind them.

Meanwhile the trainers tried dragging Laxus back to the locker room for evaluations, but he stopped them with wide opened eyes as he kept watching Elfman's charge down court.

 _One second left._

The Fairies bench was jumping up and down. Lucy, Levy, and all the others were on their feet in the stands, waiting for the end to come.

 _Game over._

"…AND ELFMAN WINS THE GAME FOR MAGNOLIA! THE MAGNOLIA FAIRIES ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!"

* * *

 **OOHHHHHHHHH! AND MAGNOLIA GOES TO THE PLAYOFFS! ELFMAN RULES!**

 **Ah, it felt good to deliver a satisfying basketball chapter for once! More to come in playoffs!**

 **However, tomorrow is a very important chapter...do not miss it.**


	41. 41 - An odd way to celebrate

**Author's Note: Okay, got another long one for ya. This chapter is going to resolve a lot of un-met plot points. It's also sort of emotional so bear with me.**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Forty One - An odd way to celebrate

* * *

The stadium felt like it was about to erupt right out of the ground. Fairy fans all nearly fell out their seats as the "VICTORY" and "WIN" lights flashed on every score board, and down on the court Natsu and the other Magnolia Players ran over and did their best to lift Elfman Strauss off his feet and into the air.

"AHAHAHA!" Natsu laughed like a mad man. "WE'RE GONNA GO ALL THE WAY, ELFMAN!"

"HELL YEA WE ARE!" Gray rang out with positive energy as well. "AIN'T NO TEAM LEFT IN FIORE WHO CAN STOP US NOW!"

Elfman sat atop all their tiny arms as he pumped a fist in the air. "OH YEA! MAGNOLIA IS TOTALLY NUMBER ONE NOW! SUPER MANLY!"

Standing on his shoulders was the tiny and now rambunctious Coach Makarov. "DAMN STRAIGHT! MARD GEER CAN SUCK ONE, WE'LL SEE HIM IN CROCUS!"

"I can't believe we actually won that fuckin' game!" Gajeel laughed as he only supplied one arm under Elfman, and his eyes turned to see all the maddening Fairies fans cheering with glory in the stands.

Jellal simply let out a laugh. "I never doubted our chances for a second…I agree with Natsu and Gray, we will win this league now."

At the other end Cana had jumped into the hands of Happy the fluffy mascot as she pumped her fist up and down in excitement. Lisanna ran over to hug Evergreen who smiled with pride. Meanwhile Bisca, the fifth cheerleader put her arm around Mira's shoulders.

"Well, you're brother just saved the team, Mira."

Mira wiped away a happy tear from her eye in pride, but to be honest she wasn't just happy to see Elfman win the game. She also looked over to Laxus, who even in his injury made the effort to smile and raise his fist in the moment of victory. He then looked over her way, winked, and followed the trainers back to the locker room.

Meanwhile the dumbfounded Saber City team had no idea what to do. Sting had a soft smile on his face, but the others looked really defeated. Giemma didn't even bother to say anything as he stormed off into the locker room. Minerva followed but left Sting with one more thought.

"I hope your happy…ass." She had no idea if he actually threw the game (he didn't) but she knew he didn't give out all his focus in the waning seconds of the game, leading to an easy win for the Fairies.

Then, she turned and saw Erza delivering a very satisfied grin, which made her skin crawl as she went to rejoin her father.

 _"_ _You just relax, Erza…I'll wait to see you and Jellal in Crocus…"_

The stadium tried to enjoy the moment, and up in the private box, the Heartfilias and their gust were surely joining in.

"YAY! OH I KNEW THEY COULD DO IT!" Levy had her arms around Lucy as they both smiled with joy.

Lucy nodded. "Duh!? You put the team together, girl! This is just as much your win as it is theirs!"

Warrod nodded. "I believe you're right, Miss Lucy…this will make them a very interesting team heading into the playoffs…" He looked to Jude and nodded. "Well keep in touch for the duration of the tournament, Jude. But until then, Congratulations."

Jude nodded but kept sitting down. Lucy let go of Levy and tried cheering him up. "Ya know you don't have to act so sad! Come on your team just made the playoffs!"

Jude nodded. "I suppose you're right. I just have other things on my mind…" He stood up and left the two girls in an awkward situation.

"Lucy I'll be in my office. We can talk after you're done celebrating." As he left Lucy tilted her head.

"Wha…? I didn't even ride with him?" She asked herself with curiosity.

Levy frowned and looked to her bandaged hand. "Maybe he wants an explanation now?"

"Ugh…" Lucy sighed. "You're probably right. Maybe if I'm lucky the win will calm him down."

* * *

Now, after the long celebration came to an end Lucy walked down the long hallway to her father's room.

Standing in front of the door she then took a deep breathe. _"Okay, relax. No matter how mad he is, it can't take away the fact that Nastu and the others are going to the playoffs."_ That lone fact made her smile, and as a result she gathered enough confidence to open the door. As she walked inside, Lucy came across her father sitting at his desk filling out tiny forms. He didn't even bother to look up at her entry.

"Lucy…you can have a seat for a moment."

The blond daughter gulped and took her place in one of his guest chairs. She went to speak, but before anything came out her dad started looking at his desk.

"Huh, why does my desk feel like it's been moved? I guess the janitor must have come in this morning and done it."

Lucy felt her heart skip a beat and all of a sudden let out a yelp. "OKAY! Here it is..." SHe went to undo her bandaged tattoo, but her father stopped her.

"Lucy I don't need to see your injury. I don't know what you did to scrape your hand, but it's no major concern of mine as long as you're alright."

"Oh…yea it's just a scrape, hehe." She wiped some sweat from her forehead and looked back his way. "Sooo…what did you want me for then?"

Jude sighed and sat back. "Well dear, I need to come clean with you. There is a reason Mr. Sequen has been coming to all the games this season, and tonight's big win helped solidify that reason."

Lucy paused for a moment. "O-oh, well what does he want us to take him to Crocus for the playoffs? I mean I know we have to win our play-in game first here in Magnolia, but I think we're gonna play the Avatar team, which shouldn't be that bad as long as we…"

"Lucy…" Jude made her stop. "…I'm selling the team."

His daughter blinked for a moment to collect the words. "You're…selling the team? The _Fairies_ …?"

Jude sighed. "I am. I've made a few new business decisions lately, and this has been on the table with Warrod all season long. I just feel this will be a good year to let go of the Fairies. They can make a decent run in the playoffs, which will help negotiate an actual price later on, but we have already agreed that it will be…"

"I don't believe it." Lucy blurted out. "I…I, can't believe it. I won't. Why would you just sell them after they started making it into big games?"

Jude didn't want to answer that. "Well, that brings me to my next concern…I'm moving the estate and Konzern headquarters to Veronica."

Lucy felt like her heart was about to fall out of her chest. "You're moving the company…everything...out of the country?"

A long pause passed as Lucy collected her anger.

"Why haven't you told me any of this? …and why the hell are you deciding to tell me _now_?"

"Lucy I didn't want to worry you. I figured you'd be so nervous with all the colleges on the table, so I decided to keep it hidden away. Until now. Also to be completely honest, most of the negotiations were just finalized within the past few weeks, so to be fair I never kept a whole lot of information from you to begin with."

Lucy started getting uncomfortable as it grew harder and harder to quell the rage inside. Jude used this moment to carry on.

"And don't worry. I've already looked into their capital college. _Veronica University_ is one of the oldest institutions in the world, and I just so happen to have a few ins there myself…I went ahead and got you enrolled."

Lucy's head shot up and her eyes met his. "What did you say?"

Jude looked confused. "Sweetie, we agreed that you were fully committed to business now. In fact I honored that so well, I even got you in to one of their new programs…I knew you still had a soft spot for all this media stuff, so I enrolled you as a duel major. One will be standard business, while the other focuses in on media marketing. You can decide whether or not to keep the dual major, since it's basically your own decis..."

Jude stopped as Lucy's face was now looking down. He then heard her holding in several sobs as she tried to remain quiet. "Lucy, I understand if this is all a bit too fast for you, but it needs to be…"

Lucy stood up and raised her face. Her eyes were now slightly pinker, and tears were slowly forming at the corners. She apparently did a pretty decent job at keeping them from falling, but who knew what would happen after she tried to speak.

"Forget the college, forget your stupid businesses, hell I'll even forget the fact that you're abandoning Magnolia…why didn't you try and talk with me about any of this!? I'm not your tiny, ten year old daughter anymore dad!"

Jude took a deep breathe. "Lucy. I am terribly sorry for trying to keep all of this from you…although it isn't even entirely my fault, but I suppose I understand where you're coming from."

"What does that mean?" She said with a very low voice.

Jude explained. "Lucy, you never even tell me when you're going out anymore. I mean I tried getting a hold of you all of last night, but you never sent me a single text or call. Then, you never show up until late in the morning. I do get worried about you, you know. I at least like to know who you're going out with, after all I have I feeling I know who it..."

Lucy wiped away a tear. "I'm sorry…for a second it sounded like you were about to blame this all on _Natsu_."

Jude gave her a serious look. "Do not put words in my mouth, Lucy. Sure you two enjoy each other, and I honestly don't even dislike the boy. But you have been behaving differently ever since he…"

"AGH JUST _STOP!_ " Lucy had had enough. She turned for the door just to keep him quiet, but before he could try to reply she left him with one more thought.

Choking down the tears, she tried speaking quickly. "You know, I really don't understand businessmen, and I have no idea if you're any good at what you do, but I do know one thing…mom always was the better parent."

* * *

Now, we find Natsu walking down the main office hallway inside of South Gate Arena. Levy told him Lucy was talking to her dad in his office, so he decided to load up his stuff in his car, and headed back inside to see her out.

"Oh man I bet they're poppin' champagne without me! Maybe I can use this little father/daughter time to break the tension between them…" He grinned with pride until the door to Jude's office flew open, and out came Lucy crying her way around the corner and down the main flight of stairs.

"What the…?" Natsu looked totally in shock as she left his sight, and once the door re-shut behind her, the fiery point guard started getting a tad bit angrier with every pace. Instead of following Lucy, however, Natsu barreled forward into the office of his team owner.

"ALRIGHT PAL WHAT THE HELL DID YOU…!?" Natsu yelled on his way inside, but once he looked across the room he was greeted by a very upset Jude drinking a small glass of brown liquor.

 _"_ _Oh good lord, Layla why now…?"_ Jude shook his head. "Very well, Natsu. Come in."

Natsu didn't like the forced hospitality. "Cut the nice guy crap, Jude. Why the hell was Lucy crying on her way out? She looked like someone died or something."

Jude sighed and rubbed his forehead. "She's just taking some recent family news a bit harder than expected…no need to concern yourself with it."

"Bull shit!" Natsu yelled back. "I want answers! What did you tell her!?" his hands were now fully clenched into fists, and Jude looked over and rolled his eyes.

"Calm down boy, you're not the first basketball player to try and threaten me."

Natsu had no idea how to respond. "Agh…look…just…okay what the hell is going on!?"

Jude let out a great big breath and looked up. "Very well Natsu, I'm selling the team. Warrod Sequen will be the new owner, I'm moving myself and my business to Veronica, and I've enrolled and funded Lucy's way into their number one private university on this side of the globe…is that enough or do you wish to follow me home?"

Natsu barely followed until he heard the last bit. "Hold on, y-you enrolled Lucy into a school, _without_ asking her?"

Jude rolled his eyes. "I'm not about to have this conversation with one of my players. I let you in my office as per policy, but right now I simply can't…"

"AGH SHUT UP!" Natsu slammed his fists down on the front of Jude's desk. Jude looked to see whether or not Nastu's hands were broken, then looked to check his desk.

Then, he looked Natsu in the eyes. "What are you trying to do here, Natsu? I gave her the option of flexing her major, but I do believe this is the best option for her."

"I said shut up." Natsu was serious, and as a result Jude raised an eyebrow and let him finish.

"Look, you just spilled out a whole lot of BS right now, and I'm still tryin to collect it…but all's I know is that whatever combination of crap you just said to Lucy made her cry, and I am not okay with that. At _all_."

Jude nodded. "And I thank you for that concern, alone."

Natsu wasn't done. "I don't hate you Jude, but you gotta step out of your daughter's life. I…" Natsu began thinking of that _Loke_ boy Lucy dated and then collected his next thought.

"…I don't know what the _last guy_ before me did to her, but I'm not him."

"Mgh…" Jude took a sip from his glass. "I feel as if you're about to arrive at the point? In concern for my daughter…please, share your thought."

Natsu kept his glare firm. "You wanna sell the team, Lucy wants to go to her own college for her own major, and I want to win this place a championship."

Jude tilted his head in confusion until Natsu held out a hand.

"I win the championship for Magnolia. You keep the team, and Lucy gets to choose her own path for college."

Jude took a very long while collecting the proposal. He then raised his head. "And if you lose?"

Natsu kept his hand in place. "I'll still fight ya for Lucy's future, but sell the team to whoever the hell you want. I know you wanna see this place win a championship Jude, and you don't wanna miss this year's, that's for damned sure."

Jude sighed and put down his glass. He then took Natsu's hand.

"You have my word."

Natsu never replied and quickly turned out the door, but before he could leave, Jude began pouring himself a second glass.

"Natsu…she hasn't told you about Loke, has she?"

Natsu never turned around and never even said a reply. Jude nodded. "I expected as much. You deserve to know, but I won't be the one to tell you. Ask her yourself, I believe she owes you that much for all the good you've done her."

Natsu collected the thought and grabbed the door knob, violently swinging it open to leave for the parking lot.

* * *

As Natsu opened the Stadium door he walked out into a soft flurry of winter snow. Little white flakes dotted the night time air, and only a few cars sat in the parking lot blanketed in a thin sea of white. One was Natsu's red sports car, and another was Lucy's all-white convertible with the ceiling raised. It sat under a brightly lit parking light, and sitting on its trunk was a sobbing Lucy all alone in the frosty night air.

Natsu sighed as he looked to his miserable friend. He then took a great big breath and walked over to join her. Now looking right at her, Natsu spoke up softly. "Hey Lucy…"

The blond raised her head up from her crossed arms to reveal two very red and watery eyes. She wanted to say more, but only spit out one word.

"Na…Natsu…"

Without making her wait, Natsu climbed onto the trunk and sat down next to her, and as he did Lucy leaned into his chest and wrapped herself in his arm.

"I _*Sob*_ I know he loves me, but damn it…why can't he just treat me like an adult?" Lucy did have a jacket on and hood up, but Natsu noticed how cold she felt sitting out here, and began rubbing her back. "Lucy, you're not actually going to go to that crappy college are you?"

"*Sob* Of course not, Natsu! I mean…I'm 18, and I can make my own decisions. It's just…the fact that he _tried_ doing it is what hurts the most. Then he forced me to say that nasty stuff about him as I left…I just…why the hell did he have to ruin this night!? *Sob* And Now I'm ruining it for you with all this nonsense..."

"Woah, hold on!" Natsu brought her closer. "The win was big, and we'll have more. Just calm down for now." He then paused and let her collect her sobs before he started up again.

"Hey, you know I love ya, right?" He asked her quietly.

She wiped her eyes and nodded. "Uh-huh. A-and I love you too, Natsu."

He smiled a bit before returning to his original thought. "Glad to hear it, but listen. I need ta ask you something...you mind telling me about Loke?"

Her heart stopped and the air grew very quiet as that name left Natsu's lips and entered her ears. She dreaded this day more than anything, but in any case she at least owed Natsu some tiny explanation.

"O-oh" She let out a tiny laugh while faintly crying. "You heard about that, huh?"

Natsu nodded. "If you don't wanna talk, that's cool, but...what happened between you two?"

Lucy began rubbing the tears away from her eyes. "No, y-you're right." She took a deep breath, and as Natsu started rubbing her back again, her muscles tensed up and she began her tiny story.

"It was a couple of years ago. I had just turned 16, and my friends took me out drinking with some people they knew from Magnolia U. We mingled, I met some weird people, but then some boys from the basketball team came over to the house we were in…"

Natsu continued trying to make everything comfortable as she carried on.

"One boy locked eyes with me as soon as he entered the door. I was really young, and I wanted a fun night at my first college party. He was kind of cute…" She only said that to force a reaction. Afterwords Natsu rolled his eyes which made Lucy started giggling a little.

"Anyway, we got to know each other, and one thing led to another we starting hanging out. We never did that much _alone_...but he was nice to be around. He liked how my dad owned the Fairies, because he had always wanted to play for them. He was Magnolia U's best Point Guard."

"No joke." Natsu thought. "I sort of remember hearing people telling me I was gonna be the next Loke when I first started playing. I didn't know what it meant, but I took it as some sort of compliment."

Lucy nodded and continued. "Well we took things slowly. I had never really dated before, since my dad was so snooty around boys. Also my mom passed away when I was young, so I really had no one to talk with other than friends, and their stories made me nervous."

"A year was starting to pass, and we kept going to Magnolia's biggest parties. I think that might be where I got my drinking habit form actually, hehe…anyway he was ready to take things further, but I wasn't. I could tell he was getting frustrated with me, but he never said anything, and I was kind of naïve. Also he still wanted to hang out with me, and tried taking me to parties. It wasn't bad at first, but eventually he got restless and started asking me to do weird things and even weirder stuff like awful drugs. I knew he was a big partier, and I kind of tried fixing that, but it never really worked."

"Then…one night we got in a big fight, and I never saw him for a few days. He made me so mad, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about him…anyway a week or so moved on and he asked me to go to a big team party. The Dragons had just won some big league game and they went out to celebrate. Loke comes to my house, but he never gets out of his car. I get in and he's wearing sunglasses, which he never does. It weired me out for a second, but I didn't care at the time. As we drove along to the campus I noticed he was driving faster than usual, and his turns were kind of jerky…"

At this point Lucy started getting lost in her own story, and she began rubbing her arms. Nastu continued to pat her back and gave her a nod.

Lucy gained some confidence and carried on. "We got into town, but his weird driving didn't stop, and actually he kept going faster and faster. Finally I said something to him, but just then a cop rolled around a corner and flashed his lights at us. Loke was furious, and started speeding up. He was the campus all-star after all, so he couldn't afford getting arrested. He then proceeds to speed down the busiest night of Magnolia swerving though all of traffic as I yell at him to slow down. At this point I knew he had to be intoxicated, and I started fearing for both of us. I tried sending a text to my dad, letting him know what was going on, and I…I never saw it."

Lucy paused before finishing the thought. "Loke tried running a stop light, and a car came out and rammed us from the right side."

Nastu's eyes grew larger. "Wait, the _right_ side? Weren't you in the…?" He went to say 'passenger's seat', but didn't have to as Lucy's eyes started to water.

"I-I mean, we only left with minor injuries, and the ER only kept us for a day, but…I dunno it was a little uncomfortable for me. Heck, it was my fault for even riding with him in the first place. I was too stupid to see he wasn't sober..." She balled up the end of her sleeves in her hands. The she wiped away a tear. "I mean, he had to of known that car was there…Anyway it sent us to the ER for a day. We had separate rooms, and each had a decent amount of visitors, but Loke's room…they never stopped coming."

"What people? _Friends?_ " Natsu asked with impatience.

Lucy replied. "Girls. Every half hour or so one would leave, and another would walk in. I knew he was popular, but he never told me about any of them."

Natsu's arms dropped to his side in an awkward thought as Lucy tried cheering herself up.

"I-I mean I made it out with no problems. And boy you should have seen my dad. After that Loke declared for the draft to avoid punishment from his college team, but my dad started a coalition to keep him from getting drafted. Even Mard Geer agreed to it!" That made her laugh a little as she tried finishing the story.

"Funny thing is, I haven't seen him since."

That did it.

 _*SLAM!*_

Natsu's fist hit the top of the trunk with brute force, and nearly made Lucy jump out of her seat. Then she had to fumble through her purse to find her keys, and quickly hit the 'panic button' to quell the alarm.

Natsu waited for the silence before he continued. "Lucy…you're dad thought I was gonna be another Loke, didn't he?"

Lucy bit her lip, and then spoke. "I-I mean sort of. He has good reason to, I guess…it was my fault though. I should have tried bringing you together instead of pushing him away. Maybe if I woulda done that he'd be easier to talk wi..."

Nastu didn't let her finish as he took her face and gave her a kiss on the lips. Then, as he pulled back he looked into her eyes.

"I would never do something that stupid, and honestly I'm pretty pissed off someone has already done it to you...and don't you _dare_ say any of it was your fault." He let her collect the moment and watched as she brushed the tears and snow out of her eyes before he carried on.

"Hey, I told Jude if I win the championship he's not allowed to sell the team. He'll also lay off your college crap and let you do your own thing." That wasn't part of the bet after all, but he sort of expected Jude to honor it anyway.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. "You…but when did you…?"

Nastu rubbed the un-dented spot he punch on the car. "Eh I just saw him. Doesn't really matter. I'm winning that championship, and ya know what? ...you're gonna interview me right there on the court after it happens."

That last comment left her frozen in time. The snow trickled down and stuck to both their heads, but even then it didn't speed things up. Finally one last tear rolled down her eye, and as she wiped it away, Lucy looked up and smiled.

"Deal."

* * *

 **Interesting...**

 **FYI It killed me to say anything mean about Loke, but he fit the bill out of all the characters I hadn't used yet.**

 **Lucy and Jude having some big issues, and now Natsu has joined the others for reasons to win the finals...**

 **1.) Gajeel wants to help Levy's career by winning the finals.**

 **2) Laxus is planning on asking Mira a "big question" if they win the finals. (But he's injured now!)**

 **3.) Jellal had that half-new years resolution moment where he decided Magnolia was the team he would win a finals for.**

 **4.) Gray wants to ruin Bora's chances of earning money by preventing Tartaros from winning, and since they're on opposite ends of the bracket they'll have to win the finals.**

 **5.) Natsu has a wager with Jude to win the finals...plus, now he owes Lucy an interview after it happens ;)**

 **OKAY! So we're all squared away heading into the playoffs! Magnolia will host one play-in game first, then meet for the Elite 8 in Crocus by the turn of the month (that's in-story turn of the month, not real life.) Remember though...there are still some heavy sub-plots lingering around the play-offs. Let's close the story with a bang!**

 **Comment and review like always!**


	42. 42 - Into the Playoffs

**Author's Note: WOW! I have been SUPER busy! Reports, labs, applications, papers, exams, this is not a fun time (except for the 4 family birthdays in one week)...but I have now delivered a new chapter.**

 **Playoff time! This chapter was rough because I am running out of available teams and characters. Enjoy!**

 **Also I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Forty Two - Into the Playoffs

* * *

"Well that first quarter was something fierce here in Magnolia, folks! The Fairies are winning, but it doesn't seem like there is any member trying to actually lead this team further into the bracket!" Max Alors commented on the situation as the first quarter of the opening playoff game came to an end.

32 teams made it in to the first round, with 8 in the east, and 8 in the west. This first round of games is played at the home stadium of the top four seeds, giving it a high degree of importance to win. Once finished, players wait one week, then the 8 remaining teams travel to the Capital of Crocus for the FBA finals.

However, before the Fairies could go into those games, they first had to win the game in the moment, vs the Southeastern most team in the FBA, the Mikage Avatars. Natsu huddled up with his team as the intermission clock ran down. "Man, these guys are really bringing their A-game! We're only up by one point!"

Gray shook his head and started re-adjusting his shoes. "No kidding. We finished 1 and 1 vs them in the regular season, but now they're really playing to win. They haven't let up all game."

"Would you women relax?" Gajeel said with a laugh. "We have a lead, so all's we need to do is take it to the end. No givin' up crap on defense, and no letting up on shots."

Jellal took a sip from his water. "I suppose it is that easy. However as Gray implied, we cannot underestimate these teams."

"Mhmm…" Laxus replied. He was sitting down on the other end of the loose huddle, and tried to enjoy his seat on the bench. Laxus suffered a fractured elbow in the last game, and was looking at a month or two on the bench. The only problem is that the season ended in less than a month, virtually eliminating him from playing in any of the remaining games.

None the less he made the trip out to support his grandfather and teammates. Natsu even smiled as he spoke up. "Well hey, Laxus, maybe if we keep winning you'll be ready for the final game! We'll need ya if we play Tartaros or Saber City!"

Laxus never moved his head as Elfman let out a comment. "No kidding, I can't keep up with anyone out there." Elfman took over as the new starting center, and right away he realized what kind of responsibilities it would entail.

Gray shook his head. "Hey man, you're playin just as well as any of us out there. Heck you're older than me and Natsu, which means you have to have way more experience than expected."

Elfman shrugged. "Yea I guess so…it's just a completely different stage than anything I've ever played at."

"No kidding." Gajeel grabbed his water. "Speaking of stage, where's the audience, Salamander? I usually see Blondie sittin with Levy and her old man."

Natsu quit stretching and stood back up. "Ehh…they had a little 'family talk' a few weeks back. Lucy's trying to buy her own tickets for the playoffs so she doesn't have to sit with him."

Jellal looked intrigued. "Hmm, where is she raising the money? And come to think of it…" He looked around the stadium of people. "Gray, I don't believe I see Juvia anywhere either."

Gray raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Yea, she heard about Lucy's little drive for money, and she decided on trying the same thing…"

* * *

Meanwhile, we now visit the main first floor concession stand inside the South Gate Arena.

"OKAY WHO HAD THE…um does this say _diet cola_?" Lucy scratched her head in confusion as she looked around at her co-workers. She also had to wear a matching red hat and polo shirt, and the hat was starting to make her head itch.

Since she was trying to afford a trip to the FBA finals, Lucy required a few extra dollars in her savings. She had enough for a few rounds, but now she was trying to get some decent level seats for the later games before they sold out. In any case she found herself missing the Fairies vs Avatars game as she was now working with the first floor concession crew.

"Ummm…sorry, Lucy. I typed up the order you have…I'm super sorry." Replied a pink haired girl in a matching polo shirt with a red hat as she timidly took the two drinks from her hand.

Lucy smiled. "Aries calm down! I'm not your boss, heck you've worked here longer than I have! Actually you're the one who got me the single night job here!" She kindly placed her hand on Aries's shoulder.

The pink haired girl lowered her head. "Oh…I'm sorry…I guess you're right."

"HEY LADIES! My drinks please?" A very testy man tapping his wrist stood at the front of a very long line of people.

Lucy rolled her eyes and turned to deliver her best smile. "Here you are sir! Enjoy the game!"

"Mgh…" He grunt and started to walk off in anger as he fumbled with two drinks and a cheeseburger, until he noticed the person beside him ordering a similar item.

" _Waaait_ why does this guy get the super fancy burger!? You yahoos only have two options on the menu, but his has like lettuce and pickles and stuff!"

Aries' face started turning red with fear, while Lucy's changed the same shade in anger.

"Oh, I have a feeling someone brought extra ingredients from home…"

Lucy turned and plowed her way back to the kitchen room where Juvia Lockster was working with the fry cooks. Normally the regular cooks would make a simple hamburger or the occasional cheese burger if the customer asked for it. Juvia on the other hand got excited to work with food tonight, and ended up stocking the fridge with her own swath of vegetables and other delectable goods to be put on a burger.

Lucy sighed and put a hand over her head. "Juvia, where did you get this stuff?"

Juvia smiled with delight and showed off her new creation. "Oh you like it? These burgers were looking extremely gross, so I decided to venture down to the store and order some nice, organic additions!"

"Wait." Lucy paused. "You left, and came back…? I never even saw you leave!?"

Juvia smiled and shoved two new burgers through the window hole. "Oh relax I was only gone for a few minutes…I think it was just under 60!"

"Juvia the extra effort is great but…ya know what? I'm not even a manger, so why do I care!" Lucy threw her hands in the air and walked back through the door, but as she did Juvia left one more word.

"By the way, I like your new hair style, Lucy! It looks longer." Juvia delivered a smile as she noticed Lucy's two pigtails were starting to look a little longer than before.

Lucy paused and reached up to grab them. "O-oh, thanks! I guess it has been getting longer, hasn't it?" She realized she hadn't seen her family stylist, Cancer, in over a month. Once the season starting swinging into bigger things, and her classes became too busy to handle, she sort of just let it grow out.

"Hehe, maybe I'll just let it grow even more, or at least until the Fairies lose!" She said with a smile and laugh.

Juvia pondered. "Well, what if they win it all? Then you'd never be able to cut it."

"Eh, Juvia once the season's over I'd just…on second thought I'm still working, we shouldn't be talking."

"AND THE AVATARS SLAM DOWN A BIG DUNK! THE LEAD HAS SWITCHED IN THE OPEN SECONDS OF THE SECOND QUARTER!"

Lucy and Juvia both paused as their hearts sank a tiny bit, and once they heard the crowd out front growing in anger from Max's loudspeaker commentating, Lucy let out a sorry laugh.

"Or gee, maybe I won't have to worry about it if they lose…"

* * *

Back inside the arena, we find three very awkward Fairies sitting inside the private box of Jude Heartfilia.

"Well, the playoffs look a lot harder than expected…" Levy tried to lighten the mood by starting some small talk.

Warrod laughed. "Relax, these boys won't let their season end here in Magnolia. At the very least they'll be sure to make it to Crocus. Then they will lose for sure in a game that actually counts!"

Levy sighed. "I suppose that's a joke?"

Warrod shrugged. "Hmm, I can't say…after all I can't read the future BAHAHA!"

As Warrod began laughing to himself Levy leaned over and looked to her stern boss. "Mr. Jude, are you enjoying the game?"

He never replied, and only kept his piercing brown eyes looking down on the court.

Levy sighed. "I figured this game would be pretty hard, ya know since we finished 1 and 1 against them in the regular season."

Jude finally broke his silence. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Ms. McGarden, isn't the Avatar team the one who tried taking Gray out from under us at the Draft?"

Levy timidly responded. "O-oh, yea you're right! The big news outlets only mentioned Natsu and Tartaros, but Mikage really wanted Gray for their first pick…actually they even tried hiring me before I signed with Magnolia. I guess they weren't too happy when they found out I was the one who stole their proposed 1st rounder out from under their feet."

Jude let out a tiny smile and looked her way. "Well, hopefully after tonight we'll really let them know what they missed out on."

Levy liked seeing Jude smile for the first time of the evening, and as a result nodded and smiled back. Down on the court, Natsu was having a hard time keeping up with the tiny but craft Point Guard of Avatar, Abel.

"GYAH! Why the hell are you soo fast!?" Natsu yelled out in anger as he swiped at the ball multiple times.

The very young looking Abel smiled while rapidly dribbling the ball. "Awe come on! I'm just trying to have some fun with ya!" He let out a laugh and twirled around Natsu again.

"OY! SALAMANDER!" Gajeel yelled. "JUST KNOCK THE CLOWN ON HIS ASS AND TAKE THE BALL!" The man of steel then turned back to monitor his own Avatar player, whose name was not known by anyone outside the Mikage organization. He was very tall and bulky, and he adorned a fancy mask that shielded his face from other players. He also had a scary looking demon tattoo on his right shoulder, which took up most of his right upper arm. All's people knew was that he adorned the number 6 on his jersey, and the letter D above it in the place of a full name.

Gajeel stepped off for a moment to collect his breath. "These morons are a lot faster than last time we played them...and this nut job still won't say a damned word!"

Then, Gajeel turned to find Natsu did in fact steel the ball, and quickly tried passing it off to Gray in response. Gray on the other side of the court took the ball, and quickly ran to set a quick lay up into the basket, but as he did he was quickly stopped by the Avatar Small forward. He had a head of shaggy blond hair and piercing orange eyes, and once he held up a hand, Gray's shot and arms stopped in midair, and the ref blew the whistle.

"FOUL ON AVATAR! FULLBUSTER TAKES TWO!"

Gray took the line, but also took a stair from the player who fouled him. His name was Jerome, and it appeared that much like the other Mikage players, they didn't take too kindly to seeing Gray's face.

 _"_ _Man, what is it with these nut jobs? They've been like this all season…"_ Gray shook his head and began to dribble, as Gajeel, Elfman, D (or D-6) from Avatar, and the Avatar center took their places in the box. Their center was a goofy looking man, with a shiny bald head, bushy black eye brows, and a sharp black goatee. He also had a very bizarre eastern tattoo etched into his forehead, reading "green tea", though no one knew why he had it done.

Either way Gray took a deep breath and sank one of his two shots, and as he missed the second, Mikage rebounded, and the center took the ball and tossed it down to the quick Jerome.

"JEROME! …here's the ball." Tailing off the end of his yell, the center delivered a pass.

Jerome received it and rolled his eyes. "Thanks Goumon…" He twisted around, shot past Natsu and Jellal, and quickly let up a two point basket, increasing the Avatar's lead by 2.

Natsu and Gray met under the basket, and as soon as Gray got the go-ahead to deliver the inbounds pass, he looked to his PG. "Well, these guys are playing a little better than we thought they would…"

Natsu laughed. "Yea, but we have a secret weapon they weren't prepared for…"

As the two Fairies brought the ball down the field, the Avatar's bench was growing more and more impatient.

"Sir…are you going to substitute soon?" Said a very tan and beautiful assistant coach with white hair jelled up in a bizarre fashion.

The serious coach made no move of his plain head, and he even kept his large black glasses firmly over his eyes. "Briar…I will substitute when I feel ready. This group we have currently took the lead, the least they could do is keep it."

Briar rolled her eyes and stood as a younger, bubblier assistant came up beside them.

"Oh this is so exciting! We're going to win and go to Crocus, and maybe even win a game vs Tartaros!"

"Mary, be quiet." Briar snapped. "This game is only a half of the way in, and right now we haven't won anything until…"

"AND ELFMAN STRAUSS SLAMS THE BALL DOWN FOR TWO POINTS! THE AVATARS BETTER KEEP UP, UNLESS THEY WANT THE NEW FAIRY STARTER TO WIN THIS ALONE!"

Briar and the head coach both stayed silent, while Mary let out a giggle. "Heehee, you two are so funny when you're angry."

Briar raised an eyebrow. "Arlock…your orders?"

The silent head coach raised an eyebrow and finally spoke up. "Very well…suit up."

* * *

As the half came to an end the Fairies barely claimed a one point lead. However, once the two teams re-emerged for the second half of play, the Avatar team tried out a newer, "craftier" style of plan.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Natsu ran up to Mest and Lahar as he tried arguing with Mikage's newest team member. "Look, I'm all for girls playin, but since when is this allowed?"

Lahar kept walking. "The league's been trying some new policies this year, ever since your Magnolia team hired women as a GM and assistant coach."

Mest then looked right at Natsu. "Yea, so if you really want to blame anyone, I'd start with your own organization…"

"AGH…" Natsu stormed off and returned to his team in anger.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Quit acting up, Salamander! What, are you scared of getting shown up by a girl?"

Gray agreed. "No kidding. I mean, she's gonna be guarding Jellal, so you don't even need to worry about her."

Jellal looked to Erza. "He's right, and I've only ever known her as a Mikage employee…you wouldn't happen to know anything about this woman, would you?"

Erza kept a serious look on her face. "Sadly…yes. She was a senior when I played as a freshman. She starred on some team to the west, but we played her in Hargeon."

She then lowered her head. "She was so good, it was rumored that she played on both the men's and woman's team. It was the only opponent I ever lost to in my four years at Hargeon."

The Fairy boys all kept their eyes on her, then Natsu threw up his hands. "Agh, ya see!? That's the kinda crap I'm talkin about! Screw this, we'll beat her either way!"

That was easier said than done.

Two points, four, six, eight. Her point total kept growing and growing, and it too all the strength and focus for Magnolia to keep up with the Avatar's heavy scoring. Briar was good, but more specifically she was good all over the court. Shot after shot, she made it low, and made it around the three point arc as well. She made Gray and Gajeel look like fools under the rim, and Natsu and Jellal could barely keep up with her anywhere around the perimeter.

The only thing the Fairies had to combat her was the large brute, Elfman. The Strauss man was also very skilled for the game, and managed to hold a lead for the Fairies during the entire turn from the third quarter and into the fourth. Back and forth the lead changed heading into the last moments of the game. Briar would manage to side step Jellal and sink her own three pointer, but Elfman would find the rebound on any of her misses and lead the offensive to take a few points of their own.

Now, with under thirty seconds left, Arlock called a time out, as his team held the ball under the rim. Looking to make a big stop, Makarov gathered his troops, but never said a word.

"OKAY GUYS WE GOTTA MAKE THE GAME RIGHT HERE!" Natsu tired taking charge, but everyone else wasn't buying it.

"Natsu, you've missed more shots than all of us. "Gray was very quick to point out. "I mean you've only taken them because you keep getting frustrated!"

"No kidding. "Laxus said from the bench. "Hell, you all are lucky I got injured, cause Elfman's been the only reason you've stayed in the game."

Makarov nodded. "Laxus is right, if we're going to win this, it will have to be through Elfman…which is why you'll foul Briar on the inbound."

"WHAT!?" Everyone shouted in unison as Elfman stepped up. "Hold on, I have to do _what_ now!?"

Makarov never stuttered. "We know she's good all around, but we have yet to see her on the foul line. She's left you all so intimidated to attack, we don't know how well she shoots under pressure…" He then looked to Erza. "Wouldn't you agree? No player is 100% perfect, and this might just be her only flaw."

Erza went to argue, but stopped in her thought from recalling Briar's style of play. "Actually…you might be right."

No one had time to argue as Mest blew the whistle, and at that note Natsu brought them all in closer. "Okay, Elfman, you ready to be the _Real Man_ , tonight?"

Silence fell over the huddle until Elfman cracked a smile.

"Heh. Guys, just leave it to me!"

The players came on, Abel took the ball, and quickly he passed it in to Goumon, who made no hesitation in delivering it to Briar. What was odd for Briar, however, was seeing that Elfman was no longer guarding Goumon his fellow center, but instead he was now keyed up on her.

She went to drive, but Elfman delivered a quick foul.

"FOUL ON STRAUSS!" Lahar yelled. "ONE-AND-ONE FOR BRIAR!"

The white haired hero for Mikage paused, and began looking more and more uncomfortable. "A-are you sure about that? I think they had one more foul to give." She tried to argue.

Mest shook his head. "No actually they're one more from putting you all in the double. It's a bonus one-and-one, now step up!"

Shaking in her mind, Briar stepped up while the other Avatars shook their heads.

As everyone stepped up, Natsu was the only Fairy back. "HA! No way! She's _totally_ freaking out!"

Briar took a large gulp, and barely shot a wobbly pass that quickly bounced off the rim.

"YO NATSU! HEADS UP!" Without hesitation, Elfman grabbed it, and hurled it down between Abel and Jerome, and delivered it to Natsu.

"AHHH!" Natsu was caught off guard and nearly missed catching the pass, and as Abel and Jerome ran up behind him, he just barely let up a lay-up, securing the win as time expired.

"THE GAME IS OVER! THE FAIRIES WIN! THE FAIRIES WIN! THEY'RE ON TO CROCUS!"

Max rang out a cheer, and the stadium followed with a roar of celebration. Natsu and Elfman ran up and hugged each other, and the other Fairies came in to join them. As the Avatars all stomped their feet, Makarov looked at Erza and smiled.

"Ha, thank god…I just pulled that plan right out of my ass."

* * *

 **Well that was funny! I had Avatar as the side team waiting if I needed anyone else...and I ended up needing to use them here. However, I had no idea how to make the game unique.**

 **In any case, when looking at the Avatar characters, it was also very hard making them look like regular people. Even Tartaros was easier for me! Also, I completely forget the Avatar arc, and had no idea how to write any of their personalities. Then, out of all of them, Briar oddly enough looked the most athletic, but she's a girl so I had to make it special. In the end, I like it.**

 **Also Lucy's hair is growing out! I plan on having it like her current long hair in the Alvarez arc (which is fitting because she actually got it in the real manga series during the Avatar arc!) Also, her and Juvia are trying to buy their own tickets for the playoffs...how responsible of them!**

 **Anyway, we're on to new things next chapter!** **Comment and review!**


	43. 43 - The Stress of Competition

**Author's Note: Hello! Oh man, have I been busy lately! Luckily you guys are a really cool audience! I haven't received ONE complaint about being late on my deliveries!**

 **Okay, I was trying to do a prelude to the first playoff game, then show the first half in this chapter, but the prelude sort of turned into its own chapter. I think it adds a nice buffer from the last chapter which featured all basketball.**

 **In other news, did anyone read today's manga chapter? It was kind of boring...except for the last page (lots of Jerza setting up for next week)**

 **Anyway, please enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Forty Three - The Stress of Competition

* * *

The night life of Crocus was busier than ever. It was now March, which meant a slight bit of warmth was flowing through the air, but only on rare nights. People all over the capital city were out and about as dozens of events were bringing crowds in from all over the world, but the major attraction this month was the X792 FBA Finals Tournament.

Eight teams were now invited to Crocus, with 4 from the east and 4 from the west. Once the first few rounds were finished, the final two teams would be ready to face off and claim the title. However, before that could happen, the elite eight needed to be taken down to two. Here, we once again find Coach Makarov Dreyar sitting inside a bar with his young grandson, Laxus. The two men share a drink together as they each ponder the past season.

"Well, are you excited to see the Fairies in the finals, Laxus?" Of course they were still one of eight teams playing, but most people still referred to the entire event as the finals.

Most people, with the exception of Laxus. "Jshh. We haven't made it to any final just yet. There's still the two games we have to play before we get there."

Makarov smiled and raised a glass. "Yes, I suppose that's one way to look at it." He then narrowed his vision. "You know, I was worried about you after that Saber City game."

Laxus made no effort to give him a response.

Makarov sighed. "I imagined you would be torn apart with that injury. The Laxus who played last season, he wouldn't have been so happy to see a team of newbies pull the Fairies to the playoffs without him…after all you were the only one in the spot light before now."

Laxus took a hold of his drink. "That's funny, Mira said the same thing…I didn't want to agree with her, so now hopefully my attitude shows off a new side of me."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "I hope so too...also, you mentioned Mira just now…is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

The bar around them grew slightly louder, but both men tuned it all out as Laxus tried looking away with discomfort.

However, he reluctantly pulled out the black ring box from his pocket and set it on the counter.

Makarov smiled. "Ah, I should have known. Hah, well I suppose it isn't a coincidence why all you kids are going to the playoffs this season."

Laxus raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean? You saying we didn't try any time before now?"

Makarov shook his head. "Oh you tried, you've just sucked each year that you did. Natsu and Gray experienced the same thing in their final match with Acalypha. I saw confusion in Gray's eyes, and I saw selfishness in Natsu's."

He then looked away. "You would always fight with me, Jellal fought with himself for two years by taking a break, and even Gajeel fought with everyone when he was with the Phantoms, but now…you each have a purpose. Gajeel has been seeing Levy after all her press conferences, Jellal made himself a little New Year's resolution. Even Natsu's trying to keep Jude from selling the franchise."

Laxus took a gulp from his beer. "Yea? So what's the point?"

Makarov turn to Laxus. "You're each fighting for a cause. You all went into the season with mindless ambitions to win Magnolia a hollow title, but none of you knew what that meant. Now, you each are fighting for more than your own glory, you're all fighting with a purpose."

He then jumped off his stool and walked for the bath room. "And that's why you'll beat Tartaros in the finals."

As Makarov finished that thought he turned and slowly walked away. Laxus took a breath, and then slipped the ring back in his pocket.

"Whatever you say, geezer. What ever you say."

* * *

Now, we arrive at the Crocus Business District, where the large and extravagant _Hotel of Roses_ is hosting all eight teams for the playoffs. Here we find Jellal and Erza standing at the reception desk waiting for service. No one had been there to help them, and the blue haired Fairy All-star was starting to grow impatient.

"We've been here for almost 20 minutes, now. I understand it's late, but this is starting to get…" Jellal tried looking over the counter and around the back room, but Erza smiled and grabbed him from doing it.

"Jellal, it's only been five minutes. Would you please just calm down, you're acting like a child."

Jellal leaned over the counter. "Fine then, I'll take being a child if it means I get my room key faster."

Erza laughed. "What's wrong with you? Are you that excited to see the room?"

Jellal looked up and thought about it for a second. Truth was he spotted Rufus and Orga from Saber City not long after entering the hotel, and now he was worried the infamous daughter of the Tiger Coach would be walking about any second now.

However, he found a way to break the tension by leaning back up and sliding an arm around Erza's waste. "Well, I mean I'm excited to see the bed if that's what you're implying."

Erza shook her head before he could lean in for a kiss. "Hold that thought." She said with a sly grin and moved his arms. "I need to use the restroom."

Jellal sighed as Erza winked and began walking away. He then kept looking at her before he heard a voice from behind.

"Haha! Hey Jellal!"

The Shooting Guard stopped day dreaming as soon as Erza turned a corner for the lobby restroom. He then took a large gulp before letting out a sigh at the sight of Natsu and Lucy coming off the elevator.

Natsu continued. "Man, you look like you've seen a ghost! Am I that scary!?"

Lucy tugged on his arm. "Not as scary as you think, Natsu. So Jellal, are you and Erza excited to be in Crocus too?"

Jellal gave them a smile. "Yes, we just made it in though, so we'll probably just order room service and stay in for the night. Do you two have any plans?"

Natsu frowned. "Yea, Loony here got us hooked up with Gray and Juvia. I guess Lyon from the Lamias is dating Juvia's cousin, so we're all hanging out…"

Lucy had to continue as Natsu tailed off. "And don't worry, we're fully aware that we play Margaret Town tomorrow, so Natsu and Gray won't let Lyon get in their heads."

"Right" Jellal laughed. "The Fairies and Lamias in the first game of the playoffs. It should be fun..." He then continued. "Well, I'll let the two of you go then. Lucy I imagine you'll enjoy the night, regardless, but Natsu, I ask that you at least try to enjoy it for your peers."

Natsu waved his hand as they both walked off. "BAH! Who needs peers? I'm more of an apple man, myself."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Natsu, he said _peers_ …bye Jellal, tell Erza I said hi!"

Jellal laughed and nodded as the two young lovers left through the door. He then sighed once more. _"_ _I hope those two are doing alright. It must be tough with the rumor of her father selling the team…"_

"Um, sir, can I help you?" Said the now impatient bell hop who finally made it to his station.

"Um…" Jellal had to retrace his thoughts. "Y-yes, the last name's Fernandes. It should be a room for two."

"Okay, here ya go!" The man quickly checked them in and held up an envelope. "We only have one key card for you right now, the other one was malfunctioning, so in the meantime try to make due with the one."

Jellal tried to laugh. "Oh that's quite alright, I'll be with my guest most of the time anyway." He then nodded and began rolling his bags down the hallway."

However, as he turned with both his and Erza's luggage, he ran into his partner talking with several familiar faces in the hallway.

"And there he is." Erza said with a sly grin on her face as she was joined by three guests in the hallway. As soon as Jellal came over Erza made him drop a bag as she grabbed his arm.

"Jellal, I believe you remember Kagura and Miliana?" She asked as Erza's old friends were now talking to them. Jellal remained quiet because they appeared to have an extra guest with them as well. He was a very tall man with broad shoulders and a short head of dark brown hair. He also had piercing eyes and a Margaret Lamias polo shirt on.

Kagura looked to Jellal and gestured to the large man. "Jellal, this is my brother Simon. He plays for the Lamias."

Simon kept a stern look on his face as he held out a hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Jellal. I heard a lot about you over the years."

Jellal nodded. "Simon. You're the rookie out of Hargeon. It's glad to finally meet you as well." He tried to sound polite because he instantly felt an awkward vibe coming from the situation.

Before things got too awkward, Simon tried to put on his best smile. "Well, now I see Erza hasn't changed. She always goes for the hot shots."

Everyone let out a chuckle while Erza tensed up. Jellal used this as a moment to make their leave.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. In the meantime the two of us are going to be shut-ins, tonight. We just got into town, and we're looking to unwind, please excuse us."

"Oh not a problem." Kagura read the situation and grabbed her brother and Milliana's arms. "Enjoy the night, you two."

Jellal and Erza nodded, but as they walked by Jellal felt an awkward stare coming from Simon. As he went to think on it, Erza leaned up and whispered into his ear.

"Don't worry about him. He's always had a crush on me, but we've never been more than friends."

Her blue haired partner smiled after that. "No, I wasn't worried. It was just a little odd to have him starring me down like that."

Erza patted him on the back. "Ah, get used to it! After all, you'll see him on the court tomorrow!"

As Erza and Jellal made it down the hall, they quickly turned up the stairs (because Erza wasn't about to let her Shooting Guard use the elevator.) However, while Jellal did manage to grab most of Erza's bags from the lobby, one tiny piece of luggage was left sitting at the foot of the counter.

Here, we find another playoff guest wondering through the ground floor of the hotel.

 _"_ _Rufus and Orga better be telling the truth about this bar."_ A very annoyed Minerva thought to herself. "After all if I have to spend one more meeting with my father I'm going to go…"

Just then she stopped as she heard a bellhop grabbing a bag from the foot of the counter. "Huh, I think we have a stray bag, here." He tried yelling over to his co-workers."

 _"_ _Ohhh…"_ Minerva pondered. _"I recognize that bag from my days down in Hargeon, and I know exactly who it belongs to…"_

She now had a mischievous face as she went to confront the counter workers.

"Oh excuse me gentlemen, but I'm afraid I misplaced a very important bag on my way in. You wouldn't happen to know where…?" She then smiled as soon as she looked to the bag. "Oh that's it! Thank god you found it!"

The bellhop raised an eyebrow, but the counter worker from before let out a smile. "Oh, we just had a Mr. Fernandes come by and collect his room key. He had a big load of luggage, but he said he wasn't alone. I suppose you must be his guest?"

Minerva cracked another smile. "Oh _Jellal_ , always trying to do everything for me while I run to the restroom!"

The bellhop looked confused. "Miss, the ground floor bathrooms are _that_ way." He pointed at the hallway she clearly did not come from.

"Oh, well I mean…" She was beginning to lose one of them really quickly.

However, the other one sucked at his job. "Oh nonsense! She probably used the ones in the dining area! Ma'am, we did deliver a room key to Jellal, but he only took the one for now. If you'd like to come back tomorrow we'll have his second key ready for ya here at the front desk!"

Minerva felt her heart beat skip with excitement. "Oh, you are the finest workers in all of Crocus! Thank you very much..."

* * *

Now, we arrive on the streets of downtown Crocus where Natsu and Lucy are on their way to greet their group of friends.

"Ya know, if I knew you were gonna drag me along to this stupid thing I wouldn't have told you we were in town…" Unlike Jellal and Erza, Natsu and his other teammates road in on a bus, leaving him without a car. Lucy, who flew in with Juvia and Meldy by themselves through commercial first class (thanks to her "borrowing" company perks from her father) also had no car in the capital city, and now found herself walking around with her irritated boyfriend.

"Well that's funny. If I knew you were gonna be a grumpy little kid about it, I wouldn't have come to see your games…" She tried to one-up him, but he was far too dense to take it as an insult.

"HA! I don't need ya, I have a crowd of adoring fans to cheer me on!" He tried to let go and walk away, but she dug her nails into his arm and kept on walking.

"Oh no, we're going on this date, Natsu! I promised Juvia and Meldy we'd eat with them tonight! Whichever team loses, the other side will fell too uncomfortable to eat with them afterwards, so we need to do this before the game!"

Natsu began pouting more and more as Lucy's nails still hurt through his jacket sleeves. "Pff…but if you take me out with Yukino and Sting again I swear to god I'll…"

Lucy started laughing. "Awe, but you two were so adorable! It's almost like you guys buried the hatchet!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "I guess so…but now that we're both in the playoffs, it's a whole new playing field."

"Whatever, Natsu…Just try to act like Gray and Lyon tonight. Meldy told me they're old friends, so I imagine they'll know how to behave." Lucy rolled her eyes and looked ahead. She then smiled as the sign for their restaurant came into view.

"Oh here it is! Bar Sun!" She quickly turned through the door and dragged her childish partner along with her as they both entered inside the bar. Lucy then began scanning the room. "Now let's see, I wonder where they could be sitting…"

"Oh hello, Miss! Are you looking for friends?" Said the friendly hostess at the front podium.

Lucy smiled and brought Natsu in closer. "Actually yes! If they're here that is. If not the name should be under…well, maybe Fullbuster?"

"Oh yes!" She smiled and gathered her thoughts. "Actually his group is just right over…"

"AGH! WOULD YOU JUST KNOCK IT OFF, LYON!? STOP BEING SUCH AN ASS!"

The hostess lost her words, and Lucy gasped as they all three looked over to see Gray and Lyon standing on their table. Lyon looked Gray in the eyes and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Watch your tongue, Gray! WE ALL KNOW I'VE IMPROVED THIS SEASON! MY TEAM WILL EASILY WIN THIS GAME!"

"BAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu was now rolling on the floor laughing at Lucy's feet. "OH MAN, THANKS FOR TAKIN ME OUT LUCY! Gray really is mature like you said!"

Lucy face-palmed and then gasped again as Gray and Lyon rolled off the table and onto the floor.

"GUYS PLEASE STOP IT!" Meldy tried to drag Lyon off of Gray. "You're gonna wreck the place!"

"WHO CARES ABOUT THE RESTAURANT!?" Juvia argued. "WHAT ABOUT THEIR PRECIOUS FACES!"

"And there's Juvia again, setting her priorities straight like always…" Lucy kept her palm right over her eyes, but chose the wrong time to look as Lyon and Gray now ripped off their shirts to begin a second fight. "OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!?" Lucy yelled frantically. "WHY ARE THEY STRIPPING!?"

"Oh wow…maybe Juvia's on to something?" Meldy stood back with blushing cheeks, and by now Juvia had drool coming out of her mouth as Gray and Lyon continued to fight. Both basket ballers were rolling along the floor as several bar staff members came over to rip them apart. Neutral basketball fans who stopped in for a bite to eat made no hesitation in laughing at the two all-stars, and as the floor began enjoying the comedic scene, Natsu finally stood up.

"Oh man!" He wiped a tear from his eye. "Okay, Lucy I'll buy. I feel like I owe you for giving me thi- _OUCH!"_

He held his laughter as Lucy nailed him in the stomach. "Grrrrr YOU'RE NOT FUNNY, NATSU!" She stormed out the door in a fit of confused rage, and as soon as Natsu collected his breath he looked back to Meldy and Juvia.

"Oh man, I dunno about you two, but now I'm all fired up for the playoffs!"

* * *

 **Okay, so Natsu and Sting behaved like class acts the other day, but it looks like Gray and Lyon won't be that simple. I liked the triple friend thing I set up with Lucy, Juvia, and Meldy. It worked out.**

 **Also, Jellal and Erza had an interesting night...stuff setting up for later...**

 **Anyway, I'll be delivering the Fairies vs Lamias tomorrow! First game of the Elite 8, Let's go!**


	44. 44 - The Fairies vs Lamias

**_[Author's Pre-note: Exciting News! I have been accepted to my school's College of Education Master's Program! I'm going to be a grad-student for a full year and earn a teaching license by next spring! Woooo! I don't have to stress out about finding a job just yet! Also my undergraduate graduation won't be as stressful next weekend!]_**

 **Author's Note: Okay weird time for me to upload, but why do I care!? Here's the first elite 8 game. No these are not set up like series in the NBA finals. They're only one game each, win or go home...I don't have the patience to write out 4-7 games for each series lol...**

 **Anyway you'll still enjoy! Fairy Tail vs Lamia Scale! The Saber game gave us some good Natsu vs Sting, let's see what a good match up between Gray and Lyon looks like (and more importantly how will Juvia and Medly be able to sit with each other!)**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Four - The Fairies vs Lamias

* * *

"Well we have quite the pair of games for you tonight, folks! We've waited all season long for the true match ups of the FBA, and tonight we will have several great shows on full display!"

Chapati Lola looked into the sports network cameras with wide eyes and excitement in his voice as the large crowd roared all around him.

"We also come to you from the fabled grounds of FBA history here in Crocus. The mighty _Domus Flau_ is the site of the original Fiore basketball championship game, and since then it has housed every FBA championship since."

Yajima nodded his head and responded. "Yep. That little Coach Vermilion took her team from the roots of basketball all the way to the top."

Chapati laughed at that. "Right you are. I also remember one of her former players coaching a good Magnolia team to the playoffs after that, and that team ended up winning six championships."

Yajima nodded, because he played on that fabled team of the past. "Yea, well the son of an FBA is here tonight, and his boys are playing in the first game."

"Oh we need no reminder for that, Yajima! The story of the year, the Magnolia Fairies on the rise to glory! Can they overcome their streak of bad luck, or will the recent past continue to haunt them by taking them down?"

Fans were growing louder and more impatient as the lights grew brighter, and as they did the two teams playing in the first game emerged onto the field.

"Well, we have eight teams in Crocus this month, but this first night will feature a double header in the Eastern Conference. Later tonight, the East's #1 seed Oaktown Phantoms will face off against the Acalypha Pegasus team. However, before we can get to that, we have a 2 seed vs 3 seed, Magnolia Town vs Margaret Town, _Fairies vs Lamias_. Who will win, and fight to represent the Eastern Conference in the FBA Championship game!?"

The fans chose to yell over Chapati's TV announcement as both teams started to warm up. The Fairies were dressed in all red with trimmed yellow, while the lamias had their whites trimmed in lime green. Most everyone on the court looked ready to play, but no two were more determined to win that Gray Fullbuster and Lyon Vastia.

Makarov, Erza, and Laxus all sat on the bench with stern looks on their faces. Well, Erza at least looked like she wanted to be there. "You both act like this is the end of the world."

Neither of them responded, which left Erza free to continue. "Laxus I understand, but Coach Dreyar?"

Laxus laughed at that, but Makarov never changed his demeanor. "I'm perfectly fine, Erza. None of this is new to me…"

He lied. The last time Makarov sat on the side line of a playoff team was over 50 years ago, and that wa player, not as a coach. The league was smaller, and teams were slower. This was all new to him, but it was a hell of a lot newer to his gang of rookies. Sure not all of them were rookies, but Jellal was the only one on the Fairies who had ever played in a playoff game. Gajeel missed his chance last season as he was forced to sit the bench, and neither of them ever won a championship.

Natsu, Gray, and even Elfman played in big tournament games for college, but this was a completely different level of media coverage, marketing, fan bases, competition, and most of all stress. As they three sat on the bench, the nasty but somewhat respectful Lamia coach, Ooba Babasaama came over with her star Center to clear the air. "Well, looks like the Fairies will have to play a little harder without their big Dreyar at Center. Can that Strauss boy even keep up with Jura?"

Jura rolled his eyes. "Please ignore our coach. We came to pay respects, and wish the Fairies good luck in the game ahead."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, this is a bizarre tradition to start Old Hag, but if you insist…good luck to the Lamias as well."

Jura nodded, and Ooba shook her head. She then spoke her mind. "It doesn't mean we're going easy on your boys. They'll get the spinnin' of a life time once we're through with them."

She and Jura turned to leave, but Laxus spoke up with one last thought. "Hey Jura…no goin easy on Elfman. Give him a hell of a game...he can handle it."

Jura turned and smiled. "Gladly."

Eventually the teams set up for the showdown of a life time, well at least for the Fairies.

"GOOD LUCK MAGNOLIA!" Lisanna stood on her tiptoes with the other Fairy cheerleaders as they all tried to get their fans pumped up.

"Yea…" Cana held her fore head. "Kick some…oh-kay I'm just sit down."

Evergreen laughed. "Well Cana, maybe you should have told yourself that last night."

Cana growled. "Yea? Save the lip for Elfman tonight, Ever. I'm not the one who needs it."

"AGH!" Evergreen went to smack her but Cana barely moved out of the way. Laki and Bisca started laughing, but Bisca stopped to see Mirajane standing off to the side. She looked happy but conflicted.

"Hey, you doing alright?" Bisca asked with concern.

Mira made no hesitation to nod. "O-oh yea I'll be fine. It's just odd. I'm over the moon to see Magnolia in the playoffs…and it almost feels like a dream to see Elfman of all people leading them, but…" She then looked to Laxus on the bench, who was still laughing after the confrontation with Jura and Ooba.

"This trip has meant so much to him, I'm…just so happy to see he's smiling, even after the injury."

Bisca grinned, and went to respond, but right then the stadium announcer came over the intercom and prepped the crowd for the first game of the playoffs. The teams lined up, and right away Natsu raised his hands. "OKAY YOU BASTARDS, LET'S KNOCK THESE BOYS OUT AND MOVE ON TO THE PHANTOMS!"

Toby from the Lamias yelled from the other side of the court. "BUT HEY! WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S WON THE OTHER GAME YET!"

Yuka snapped over to his teammate. "Toby just shut up! …Though to be fair Salamander, he is right."

Natsu laughed and looked at the center court. "You just chill out, Eyebrows. We'll send you home easy, so you've got nothing to worry about."

Natsu tried keeping up a smile, but then turned to see Gray with a look of determination on his face. He went to turn towards Lyon on the other side, but now Mest, Elfman, and Jura were all blocking his view.

Mest held the ball, and Jura bowed for Elfman. "My sincerest apologies, but I won't be holding back."

Elfman pounded his chest. "Good! A Real Man like me wouldn't have it any other way."

"Splendid." Jura smiled and braced for the jump ball. "I'm absolutely thrilled!"

Mest nodded and gathered a signal from Elfman and Jura both, and soon after, he tossed the ball and began the game.

Fans roared as Jura came down with the ball, and right away he passed it off to Yuka the Point Guard. Natsu marked up on Yuka as they both pedaled down the court to the Lamia's attacking basket. "I hope you're ready, Salamander. Our offense has geared up over the season."

Natsu smiled. "HA! I heard Lyon yappin about that last night. Just shut the mouths and show me what ya got! I'M ALL FIRED UP TO SEE IT!"

Yuka nodded, and flipped the ball around his body. He then crossed over and faked Natsu out by passing it off to Toby. Toby was big but sloppy. He knew with a player like Gajeel keying up on him he would have to pass it off. And so, he quickly delivered a pass to Jura down on the low post.

The Lamias knew Elfman was still getting used to playing, and they also knew their Jura Neekis was the best center in the league. As a result, Jura took the ball, dribbled a couple times, and easily turned to posterize Elfman on a swift dunk, giving the Lamias the early lead.

"Ouch!" Lucy, Juvia, and Meldy squinted their eyes as Jura flawlessly executed his dunk. Then Meldy started to giggle.

"Hehe, well I guess I can be a little happy?"

Lucy laughed but rolled her eyes. "Oh come on! Magnolia's your home! Lyon's just Lyon, he's not that cool."

Juvia nodded. "Absolutely. After all, he's basically just a second, inferior version of my darling Gray!"

Meldy laughed again. "Oh Juvia, just wait to see how the game plays out. Lyon has been playing really well this season…"

Then, before the Fairies made a transition down court, Meldy began to ponder. "Hey Lucy, is Wendy here? I expected to see her with us."

Lucy frowned. "Well she actually went back to meet her aunt. I guess she's trying to get her and Natsu's old college coach to come see the rest of the games, but they didn't have time to make it tonight. Hopefully we'll keep winning."

Now, the three girls turned their attentions to Natsu at point guard, who was leading the effort to tie the game early on.

"Hehe, you snakies came to play! WELL SO DID I!" Natsu barely made eye contact with Yuka and spun around him with ease, quickly passing it off to Jellal on the other end of the arc.

Jellal pump faked a shot, but had to draw back due to Simon's much taller physique. He had no choice but to facilitate a new pass to Gajeel, who then found time to dribble around Toby and drive for the basket. Sadly, although Toby was unfit to guard anyone, Jura was overly fit to guard more than one Fairy at a time, which left Gajeel with a confusing moment to get rid of the ball. As a result, he sent a pass back out to Gray, who had been waiting a very long time to receive the ball.

"It's about time." He thought to himself. He could also hear Juvia roaring from her seats, and imagined Meldy and Lucy were probably deaf right about now. The sound of her voice made him crack a smile, and seeing Lyon keying in on him made it grow even bigger.

"Okay, try not to blink for this one." Gray said as he tried driving it around.

"I'd watch that mouth if I were you, Gray. Our two teams are pretty evenly match, but…" Lyon waited for the opportune moment before he swiped at Gray and force a fumble.

"I'M WAY OVER YOUR LEAGUE!" Smiling, Lyon then took the ball, spun around a staggering Natsu who didn't expect a turnover, and quickly drove it down for the second dunk of the night.

"WELL THE LAMIAS TAKE AN EASIER LEAD IN THE FIRST!" Yelled the field-neutral announcer. "I hope the Fairies aren't out of flight just yet!"

Gray shook his head, but Natsu waved him over to the sideline. "Come on Gray, you gotta throw it in."

Knowing he was only trying to help, Gray nodded at Natsu and did just that. He received the ball from Lahar and let Natsu take it down court.

"Okay, Lyon's pretty good, so we'll have to take it a new way." Natsu didn't want to cripple Gray's chances at having a big game, but he had to ensure that the Fairies were going to keep a tiny gap between their points and Margaret's.

"Right..." Gray jogged down with Natsu and scanned the court. "Hit the low post."

"ELFMAN!?" Natsu cried out. "I mean I love the guy too, but Jura's way to…" Natsu then started to laugh hysterically. "HA! Ya know what? You're right, I'll feed it his way!"

Natsu then signaled for Gray to spread out. Lyon anticipated Gray would get the ball and as a result he did his best to mark him up. However, Natsu ignored Gray's retreat and immediately passed it over to Jellal. "Okay Jellal, let's see some magic!"

Jellal knew Natsu didn't want him to shoot it, because Simon was almost a foot taller than he was, but he had to want something. As a result, Jellal decided to try a little facilitating by himself. As he did Simon kept on him like a hawk.

"So, I heard you dated Minerva Orlando in the past."

"AGH!" Jellal nearly fumbled the ball, but barely regained composure. "U-um, that's quite the statement for in-game chatter."

Simon continued to stare him down. "You do know she made Erza's life hell down in Hargeon?"

Jellal wanted to laugh. Erza said Minerva was rough to deal with, but she was never a serious issue. However, Erza did tell him that Simon always acted defensive, and always blew things out of proportions.

"You're quite the friend, Simon. Erza is lucky to have found you."

Simon didn't expect that, and he also didn't expect Jellal to burst by him in a stream of speed. Simon didn't even have time to blink before he turned around and watched Jellal try to drive for the basket.

Then, as the large and imposing Jura tried blocking him, he quickly passed it low, and allowed Elfman to scoop it up and slam down a 2 point dunk.

"OH WOW! THREE DUNKS IN THE FIRST FEW MOMENTS!? IF THIS ISN'T FBA BASKETBALL AT IT'S FINEST I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS!"

Elfman ran over and high fived Jellal for the spontaneous pass, and just as Yuka tried to take the ball down, Natsu managed to get his hands on the ball.

"AGH!" He dribbled it around Jura, who was still near the Fairies side of the court, and barely passed it off to Gray, who quickly let up a 3-pointer just as Lyon came in to miss his block.

"AND THE FAIRIES SWINGS THE LEAD EARLY ON! Looks like we're gonna have a long game, folks!"

Natsu and Gray celebrated, and as Yuka helped Lyon up, Gray looked back.

"Remind me what makes this any different than the last time we played you guys?"

* * *

Back and forth, into the second and third quarters, the lead kept changing and changing. Everyone knew the Fairies and Lamias were very evenly matched teams, but no one had any idea it was this balanced.

"AHAHAHAHA! We're gonna all have thirty by the time the night's over!" Natsu yelled with pride as he took the ball at center circle.

"YEA!?" Gajeel yelled from under the rim. "EVERYONE BUT ME! I MEAN FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD I'M MARKED UP ON THE WORST PLAYER!"

"HEY!" Toby took offense to that. "I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU HAVE THE BALL!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "If you do I'll be sure to retire, tonight." He then waited to find a pass from Natsu, and as Toby flung in, Gajeel passed it off to give Elfman another shot and score.

"OKAY GAJEEL! NO MORE COMPLAINING IF YOU'RE JUST GONNA KEEP PASSING OFF MY PASSES!"

"I CAN PASS OR SHOOT WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT!" Gajeel yelled. "TRY KEEPING UP WITH EYEBROWS THERE, SALAMANDER!"

Natsu turned to find Gray on the floor as Yuka and Lyon double-teamed him to give the Lamias an even basket. Gray then brushed his bottom.

"Okay, I'm takin' the ball down. Natsu, you're passing it in."

"AGH…FINE!" Natsu switched out, and let Gray call the play. Gray took the ball, and as he delivered it down court, his plan started to unfold, because Yuka and Lyon also switched positions.

 _"_ _Perfect, Lyon won't know what to do. Keep up with me or facilitate his team…"_ He pondered his next move as a crashing wall of sound came from his right ear.

"OH! SCORE A BASKET FOR ME MY HUNKY BALL OF HUNK!" Juvia yelled hysterically from her seats as Meldy and Lucy each grabbed one of her arms and yanked her back down into her chair.

Gray rolled his eyes and had no choice but to let out a smile.

 _"_ _Okay, fine."_

He waited for Lyon to make a move, and by some tiny stroke of luck he managed to dribble around him, switch back through Toby, and finally spun around the daunting but slow Jura to barely get a shot off before the shot clock expired.

"See, he delivered Juvia." Lucy gave Juvia a nod and smile as Gray made his shot.

"I guess you're right…" Juvia had a bit of red covering her face as a smile added to her excited expression.

"Yea…" Meldy agreed. "…OKAY LYON GET ME A BASKET TOO!"

Trying more to tease Juvia instead of actually wanting a shot, Meldy yelled out to her white haired boyfriend, who was now on the other end bringing the ball down court.

He smiled and looked at Gray. "Well, that is rather funny. I was originally having a hard time making up my mind. Do I try to keep with you or facilitate my team for the basket?"

Gray laughed because that was his exact same observation, but then Lyon raised an eyebrow. "But alas, it's so much easier than that. I'LL JUST HAVE TO GET MELDY A BASKET TOO!"

Mimicking his good friend Gray, Lyon actually found much easier path to the basket. Natsu and Jellal were nowhere near him, and Gajeel and Elfman were too slow to keep up as Lyon spun back around, and sent up a short ranged jumper to match Gray's basket.

"Hehe." Meldy giggled. "I can't let you have all the fun, _Juvia_." She gave Juvia a wink and leaned in to give her a hug.

"Oh, fine…" Juvia pouted but accepted Lyon's brilliant play.

Meanwhile Lucy laughed. "You two are definitely family alright." She then smiled and turned back to see Natsu completely air ball a wide open 3-pointer with no one around him.

"AGH! COME ON WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" He yelled at himself while the remaining Fairies and Lamias fought for the bouncing rebound.

Lucy face-palmed and Juvia patted her on the back. "It's okay, we can't all date the all-star players…"

"Yea…I don't need it." Lucy tried to swallow her pride, and let out a little laugh for her ridiculous Natsu. Then, as the girls looked back, the third quarter had come to an end.

* * *

The fourth quarter felt like it went by just as fast as the first. The Lamias held the ball most of the time, and as a result held a small but very noticeable lead. Magnolia did it's best to try and even things up, but the Lamias always found a way to counter.

Now, with the last few moments winding down in the game, Natsu, Gray and the other Fairies had to act fast, or kiss their championship dreams goodbye.

"Alright losers. What do we got?" Natsu held the huddle, and looked around to hear a good plan.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "You're the point guard, dumb ass. You're supposed to tell us!"

Laxus tried to hold in his laughs. "Yea, now I'm starting to wonder how we made it here in the first place."

Jellal spoke up to try and keep things serious. "It's because we had the heart. Now let's finish this game and move on to the next."

Everyone nodded as once again Makarov tried his best to make a strategy. "Hmm, well it's quite obvious that Jura and Lyon are their number one men. Jura's shooting is poor, but while he's around the rim he's virtually unstoppable. Meanwhile, as long as Lyon keeps his feet moving he's extremely hard to catch. We need to find a way to slow him down or…"

"Foul him."

Everyone looked at Gray with crazy expressions. Natsu spoke first. "GRAY!? They're in the double bonus! They'd get free baskets!"

Gajeel agreed. "No joke, we don't have enough room to keep giving them points."

Gray shook his heads. "We're not giving them points, we're giving them shots. It's up to Lyon to make them or not."

Natsu began to growl more. "UGH THIS IS NO TIME FOR SOME BULL CRAP PSYCHOLOGY LESSON!"

Gray kept calm. "Relax, just trust me…I'll let him run some time off the clock and then foul Lyon when he goes to drive. He'll probably try to pass before I make contact, so I'll have to act fast."

Everyone looked uneasy, until Elfman let out a cheer and held a hand in. "ALRIGHT! Time to see if Gray's manly enough for the challenge!"

Gray nodded. "Hey man, if we make it out with the ball I'm looking to you to deliver the game winner."

All the Fairies laughed and held hands in for the last hand shake of the night. They then returned to the field to find the Lamias ready for the final action.

"Well, they say the final seconds make the player." Jura looked to a determined Gray as he walked onto the field. "It looks like we'll find quite the ending with an expression like that."

Gray nodded. "Hey man, I already have Lyon on my case, I don't need you too."

Jura nodded with a smirk and left for his position. As the others moved Juvia had one last yell.

"DON'T LET LYON GET IN YOUR HEAD…AND IF WE LOSE YOU OWE HIM AND MELDY DINNER!"

The fans around Juvia and the other girls started laughing at that, and Gray had no choice but to roll his eyes.

"Well, sorry Meldy…"

Now, Yuka passed the ball in, and Lyon took it down court.

"Ah, so Gray does decide to match me in the final seconds." He continued dribbling." Well, will we see an easy end, or will one of us flop on our way down the stretch?"

Gray wiped his brow. "Just keep your hand on that ball, boy. We got a lot of seconds left."

Even though that was a complete lie it made Lyon laugh. "Hah, fine." Fully confident, Lyon Vastia dribbled it around, and as he tried to send passes to both Toby and Simon, Gray was there to stop him every time. Lyon then gathered a worried expression as the shot clock was dipping down into the single digits. Finally, as he saw his only path to Jura was now also blocked, he had no choice but to try and drive it down for a…

 _*WHISTLE!*_

"FOUL ON #4 FULLBUSTER! Vastia gets 2!"

Lyon would have normally been proud, but he was actually taken away because it looked like that was Gray's plan all along.

"You _meant_ to foul me?" Lyon asked with an odd sound in his voice.

Gray shrugged, and signaled for Elfman to leave the post and go down to switch Natsu at center circle. Now, Jura, Yuka, and all the other Lamias were looking weirded out.

"AGH! JURA IF YOU LET THOSE LITTLE PIPSQUEEKS BOX YOU OUT I'LL SPIN YOU TIL YOU PUKE!" Coach Ooba yelled form her sideline.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Makarov yelled. "THIS WASN'T IN THE PLAN AT _ALL!?_ "

"HE'S RIGHT!" Yelled Juvia and Lucy at the same time. "WHAT THE HELL IS _THIS_!?"

Juvia and Lucy were now worried Jura would injure Natsu or Gray on the rebound, but for that to happen, Lyon would have to miss.

"Agh…" Lyon's head was starting to hurt. In fact it was so bad he couldn't even hear Meldy, Juvia, Lucy, or anyone else yelling. He was only focused on Gray.

 _"_ _Did he…did he plan for all this to happen?"_ Looking completely puzzled, Lyon took a breath and shot his first basket.

Make.

The Lamias were now up by 2, and half the crowd sighed with relieve.

Lyon wasn't out of the water just yet as Mast tossed him the second shot. Dribbling in wait, all eyes were on Lyon Vastia as he continued to eye down the rim.

Then, his head start to hurt, and before he could think, he prematurely shot the ball, unprepared. The ball bounced off the rim a few times before rolling around, Jura went into stop the low Gray form retrieving it, but the crafty Natsu got it first under both of them and tossed it to the center of Elfman.

"CATCH!" He yelled louder than the fans, and as a result startled Elfman.

"AGH WHY'D YOU HAVE TO…!?" Elfman yelled back as he took the ball at center court, and with two Lamias cornering him, and time expiring, he panicked and threw up a very desperate half-court shot.

Makarov held his breath. "If he makes this shot I swear to god I'll…"

In. Game.

"AND ELFMAN STRAUSS MAKES A GAME WINNING HALF COURT SHOT! OH IN ALL MY YEARS OF ANNOUNCING, A CENTER HAS _NEVER_ MADE A HALF COURT BUZZER BEATER! MAGNOLIA WINS!"

"AHHH!" Natsu shoved the Lamias out of the way and led the trail of Fairies right towards Elfman as the Strauss wonder led them in the final seconds of his third consecutive game.

Meanwhile, all the fans, Juvia, Lucy, and even Meldy were on their feet in celebration. Meldy found time after hugging Lucy to look over at a defeated Lyon sitting on the ground.

In response Lyon quickly turned his head to find her winking his way and holding up a heart sign over her chest, but before he could think Gray grabbed his hand and dragged him to his feet.

"Okay man, now ya owe me dinner…that is, if you plan to stick around for the rest of the tournament.

Lyon caught his breath for a moment, but then put his hand on Gray's shoulder and smiled. "After an epic game such as this, I owe you people more than just dinner."

* * *

 **Okay that was a long one! God it is sooo hard to make all these basketball games exciting and unique from the one before it! I hope you enjoyed! Now, who will the Fairies play in the Eastern Conference finals!? Find out soon! ...I feel obligated to try and crank these chapters out daily again, so I'll do my best (mainly because I have finals next week, and it would be _reaaaaaally_ nice to wrap the story up by Sunday-ish...?)**


	45. 45 - The Confrontation

**Author's Note: Hello! Good-ish chapter for ya today! I only say "good-ish" because technically you guys have to be the judge. Either way I hope you enjoy!**

 **In other news Game of Thrones returns this weekend! Though Fairy Tail is my favorite series, I'd say GoT is easily my second, if not tied with FT. (It's also funny because the FT anime recently ended and the last dubbed episode of FT zero just premiered, so GoT will fill the hole perfectly!)**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Five - The Confrontation

* * *

It was now the night before the Eastern Conference Finals. The Fairies had beaten the Lamias of Margaret Town a few nights back, while the Phantoms of Oaktown demolished the Pegasus team in the game after. Meanwhile, on the other end of the bracket, the Tartaros Devils easily defeated the Oración Seis of Cait Shelter, while the Saber City Tigers barely pulled off the win vs the Quattro Cerberuses.

However, as per league policy, each team was scheduled to have certain press conferences before each game. The day of playing was usually saved for the actual players, which left the night before open for Coaches and GMs. Here we find four very determined FBA members waiting for a never ending round of questions to finally role to the finale.

"Okay tell me Coach Makarov, do you think the string of horrible losses from the middle of the season will re-emerge in the game tomorrow night? Will we see any trends?"

Makarov's eye was starting to twitch this late in the conference. "We have looked passed the regular season, and only focus on tomorrow's match with Oaktown."

Another reporter chimed in. "Even though those losses were crowned by an upset loss to Oaktown?"

Makarov's blood was slowly boiling and his fist was quickly clenching, so as a result Levy McGarden had to respond.

"As Coach Dreyar explained, we have looked passed the regular season, and are only focused on tomorrow's..."

The press was getting bored with the Fairies question dodging and decided to turn to the Oaktown representatives.

"This is for Coach Porla or Sue. You finished with an even record vs Tartaros this season, and are recorded as one of only a few of their losses. Will this help your chances if you make it to the final?"

Jose laughed and turned to Sue, his GM. "Well I do feel confident that our team matches up with the Devils very well around the perimeter. Also, I feel Aria has been playing very well so far under the rim, so to answer your question yes I do believe we'll have an easy time…"

"HEY! QUIT WRITING US OFF!" Makarov was now half on the table, until Levy yanked him back down into his chair.

He continued. "The day the Phantoms get into the finals is the day hell freezes over! And as a proud member of Magnolia for over 50 years I'll be damned if I'll be the first to let them!" Truth be told Jose and the Phantoms had won a championship in the past (well _waaay_ back in the past, and without Gajeel) but they had never beaten the Fairies to get one. Although this was the first time in many decades the Phantoms played the Fairies in the playoffs, the record in the post season actually favored the Fairies.

Jose rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, let the record show that Coach Dreyar suffers from a disease we in the business call 'delusions of grandeur.' It's what happens when you spend too many days dwelling in the past. Actually, what has it been almost 50 years since you've been in the Domus Flau, Makarov?"

"AGH! YOU'LL BE HAPPY ONCE TOMORROW'S OVER BEFORE I…!" Makarov tried to lunge over and tackle Jose out of his chair, and Levy actually missed grabbing him, but luckily for both of them a random figure plowed through the curtain and grabbed the short angry man.

Gajeel held Coach Makarov under one arm and glared at the crowd. He then turned to Jose and Sue and narrowed his eyes before grabbing the curtain and pulling himself back stage.

As a result, Levy was left alone at the Fairies press table, and just before cameras and questions started flashing she grabbed the mick and made a statement.

"Well, we'd like to wish the Phantoms good luck, and may the better team win!" She then tossed the mic down and stormed back stage.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" She looked at Makarov and Gajeel, who both tried to avert their eyes.

Makarov snuck a flask out of his shirt. "Relax Mick, we'll show those asses whose boss tomorrow night."

Levy began to growl. "Ugh…don't call me 'Mick', and that's fine, but wait until tomorrow to begin the trash talking, or at least do it whenever I'm not in the room!"

Gajeel let out a chuckle before Levy snapped at him. "OH NO YOU HAVE NO ROOM FOR LAUGHTER EITHER, PAL! You encourage this rivalry crap with him, and I'll be damned if I let it…!" Levy tried to continue her rant, but she lost Gajeel and Makarov's focus as Jose and Sue came back to greet them back stage.

"My my, that was quite the unruly show you all put on back there. I didn't even have to finish my statement before you baboons ruined yourselves."

Makarov stuffed the liquor back in his shirt. "Jose. I don't need to see you or your rotten organization until tomorrow. Once we…"

"HA!" Jose let out a laugh. "You Fairies are all so hard headed. When will you realize you'll never make it to the finals!? And if by some stroke of luck you manage to beat us, Tartaros will absolutely obliterate you!"

Jose and Sue started to laugh until Gajeel stepped forward.

"That's fine. As long as that first part comes true, I don't give a damn what happens in the finals." He then squared up with Jose. "Far as I'm concerned, you idiots _are_ the finals."

Jose raised an eyebrow. "Ya know, I've never regret releasing you, Gajeel, and I'm so glad you keep re-affirming my decision to do so!" He then howled again and walked passed the Fairies as he and Sue left through the door.

Gajeel kept his eyes on the door as Makarov turned away. "Well, I'll try and get some sleep. I suggest you two do the same. Tomorrow will be the longest day of your lives…"

As Makarov left Levy looked at Gajeel. "You know, trying to act like the bad guy isn't always the best thing to do."

Gajeel never turned her way and nudged his head toward the door. "Trust me, I'm an saint compared to that monster."

Levy walked forward and grabbed his arm. "No, you're just letting Jose drag you down to his level."

As Levy looked up to Gajeel, he tensed up and lowered his head.

"Agh come on, let's just go get food."

* * *

As the press conference Fairies were trying to enjoy their night, several other members of the Fairy clan were out on the town.

"AND I'LL ORDER _ANOTHER_ ROUND AFTER THAT!" Natsu yelled to the entire bar as everyone in the room yelled back with excitement. He and Cana were now dancing in the middle of the crowd of people as Lucy rolled her eyes and sat with Mira and Laxus.

"Why does he have to make a stage for himself all the time?" Her head hit the bar and nearly spilled her drink.

Mira giggled. "Oh I like it! Laxus never does anything goofy. Sometimes I wonder if he's even human!" She then tugged on Laxus's bad arm, which caused him to jerk with pain.

"Owe! What the hell was that for?" He asked with an awkward face.

Mira giggled again. "Opps, I guess he is human after all! Teehee!"

That made Lucy smile. "Well, I'll let you have two boyfriends then. Laxus can be your relaxing one, and you can have Natsu for crazy time."

Mira shook her head. "Nah, I'd hate to steel him from ya! Besides, if you want him to be a little more wound down, than maybe ask him to relax!"

Lucy leaned back up and shook her head. "Nah, I never said I hate it entirely. He's really lively, I like that." She then smiled and looked at Natsu, all crazy and dancing around.

Then, she turned to find an uncomfortable Juvia and Gray sitting next to her other side. "Hey, you two doing okay?"

Juvia grabbed Gray's arm. "Yes, though I can't speak for both of us…" She then turned to a silent Gray staring at his glass of beer.

After the game a few nights ago Juvia, Meldy, and Lucy all ran into Bora and his new wife Jenny in the Domus Flau. Apparently he wanted to be there first hand to watch the Fairies lose in the playoffs, and his entire existence in the city left Gray and Juvia a bit off.

Gray finally spoke up. "Nah, we're fine. Just a little messed up. Hey Lucy, you hear from Wendy at all?"

Lucy then raised her phone. "Actually, I think her and her aunt are getting in to town tonight. She also said your college coach will be here by tomorrow night as well!"

Gray let out a smile. "The ol' Geezer's gonna show up? Hah, that's rich. I wonder what he'll have to say…"

Then, Mira chimed back in. "Hold on, does anyone know where Jellal and Erza are tonight? I know they've wanted to stay in the past few nights, but I feel like they're missing out on all the team-bonding activities."

Lucy and the others shook their heads, and she responded first. "Well, hopefully they're enjoying the night one way or another."

* * *

As those members continued talking, we now return to the hotel, where Jellal and Erza are having a very…interesting discussion.

"Jellal they're not mine, and frankly I'm rather insulted you would suggest that! Why do you think they're here!?"

"Erza for the last time I have no idea! This whole staff has been ridiculous all week, it wouldn't surprise me if they put them there!"

"What are you suggesting…?" Truth was, Erza was holding a very skimpy pair of black panties that magically ended up at the foot of their bed.

Jellal looked her in the eyes, and realized she was now assuming the worst of him. "Yes, I have the spine to do _that_ right here in the room! What, you really think that's the reason they're here!?"

"NO!" Erza defended herself. "I was asking you why you would suggest that as a reason, yourself! All's I want to know is why they're in here!?"

Jellal retorted. "Like I said the staff is bizarre! More importantly one called earlier and said you were missing a bag!? When the hell were you going to tell me about that!?"

Erza looked slightly guilty. "I never wanted to stress you out before the game! The bag didn't have that much important stuff…" It basically just had some gym wear and work out gear, but Erza had no time to use it anyway, so she never bother to locate it until now.

Jellal rolled his eyes. "Well like I said those idiots just told me about it, and now we have those in our room. I'm running down stairs to ask them about it…" Before he left however, Erza spoke up.

"Could you ask about my bag too? Or never mind I can just call. I tried last night, but no one was down there and I…"

"Erza you haven't even went down to see if they have it!?" His blood was starting to boil before he took a deep sigh. "Look, I'll run down to check on it now." He then turned and left through the door.

Erza also took a sigh and tried to enjoy the silence. "He's just…nervous for tomorrow…the Phantoms have him all stressed out from the last time he played them." As she tried to reassure herself of his stress, Erza finally found a moment to lay back and calm her mind.

Then, before the loose pair of black underwear could find their way back inside her brain, her cell phone began to buzz.

It was Minerva. She had been trying to text Erza for days now, but the red head was too stubborn to answer, and for good reason too.

"I'm not even sure why she still has my number…" She sighed at the sight of her old teammate's phone number and had no choice but to answer. "What?"

Minerva sounded equally as tired. "Erza, I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past few days…I found your workout bag."

"…what did you say?"

Minerva took the phone from her ear and looked down at it with a puzzled face. She then continued. "I was down in the lobby and the bellhops were putting it in their lost and found. I recognized it from our days in Hargeon and told them I knew the owner…then I tried texting you multiple times but you wouldn't answer."

Erza's head was about to explode. " _Soooooooooooo_ …the lobby workers don't have my bag?"

Minerva sounded very annoyed. "No, and at this rate I'm about to throw it out the window if…"

"NO WAIT!" Erza stopped all thinking and tried to locate Minerva before Jellal got back. "Where's your room, I'll come get it right now!"

"O-Oh, Um 391? But listen I can just come to your…" She stopped as Erza hung up her phone and supposedly began running to her room. Finally Minerva leaned back on her bed and smiled. "Well, that was easier than I thought."

~A few moments later.

 _*KNOCK-KNOCK*_

Minerva slowly got up to answer the door, and found a frantic Erza standing in wait with two tired eyes.

"Minerva…just let me have the bag, and I'll be on my way."

Minerva let a grin take her face. "Oh my, you seem to be having a rough night. Care to come in for a drink?"

Erza shook her head and kept her arms crossed. "No, I don't want to. I just want my bag, and I want back in my room."

Minerva shrugged and slowly turned around. "Oh fine, no fun like always. Well here it is." She led Erza into the room. "To be honest I wasn't even 100% sure it was yours, but now that I see you lost it I can tell that it is."

Erza walked around her slow moving acquaintance and quickly grabbed the bag from the rest of Minerva's luggage. "Well…thank you, but I must be…" As that last consonant lingered on her tongue, Erza's eyes were then greeted by a bizarre sight.

A pair of black underwear sticking out of Minerva's bag. A _very_ similar pair to the one in their room.

Erza paused and felt a jolt pass through her brain. Meanwhile Minerva raised an eyebrow.

"What? Do you need anything else?"

Erza turned to see Minerva now started to look very impatient with her wondering eyes. As a result she took a deep breath.

"No, like I said I'll be leaving now." Erza kept her eyes away from Minerva and went to leave, but as she did she was then greeted by another bizarre sight.

A familiar tie was sitting on the coffee table in the lounge of the room. This tie looked an awful lot like the one Jellal wore to his contract signing the very first time he met Erza. And it wasn't a coincidence why it was sitting in Minerva's room. Along with the bag, the bellhop also assumed Minerva was Jellal's date, and equipped her with his room key, where she left him a black souvenir and took one for herself out of his bag.

Minerva tried to cover up a smile by shoving Erza towards the door. "Well, you seem to be in a hurry, Erza, but I'm sorry, I am expecting company. I'll let you stay for a tiny but I really need…"

Erza never moved. She then spoke up with a soft voice.

"What's wrong with you?"

Minerva held her breath. "What do you…?"

Erza never turned around. "You put underwear in our room. Then you stole Jellal's tie out of his bag?"

Minerva's eye could now twitch since Erza wasn't looking her way. "Erza, I have no idea what you're…?"

She then noticed Erza was remaining quiet. If Minerva was going to get out of this the way she planned, she needed to act fast.

"…fine. I was hoping to just take the bag to your room, but now that you're here…Jellal made a little round to my place last night. I was hoping he'd be the one to tell you, but you never…"

"Jellal was in bed, with me last night…" Erza then turned around. "You know both of us lose sleep on big weekends like this, so you should have known we'd be wide awake…and I would have known if he left for the night."

Minerva stopped talking, and once again her eye started to twitch. Erza then looked her dead in the eye.

"Look. I put up with you in Hargeon, you and Jellal had a past, and we both have been dealing with you ever since we started dating again…but I swear if you do one more thing to us…"

Minerva laughed. "Aren't you the little drama queen? Just like Harg…"

 _*SMACK*_

Erza raised her hand and left a slap mark right across Minerva's face. The black haired vixen tried coping with the fact that Erza just back handed her in her own hotel room, but Erza's continuation held her thought.

"If I catch you around Jellal, or me ever again, you will be sorry."

She then turned, grabbed the tie from the table, and left for the room as Minerva stood alone, hand against her throbbing red cheek.

 _~Meanwhile, down at the lobby._

Jellal was outside with a cigarette in his hand as he tried to cope with all the stress.

 _"_ _Those damned hotel workers…why can't they just sit at the desk and do their job?"_ He came down to see them, but no one was there. After waiting there for 15 minutes, he decided to blow off steam outside. He laughed to himself as he took another drag. _"Funny. I'd actually expect to see some of them smoking out here with me. Isn't that the usual stereo…?"_ He paused on that thought as he heard to women turning into the downtown hotel.

"My lord, Wendy. Isn't this place awfully expensive?" Said a shrewd pink haired elderly woman as she towed a large suit case behind her.

Out in front, a young girl with blue hair smiled with excitement. "Yea, but Mr. Jude paid for all of it! You should see our home in Magnolia! It's amazing!"

Jellal cracked a smile. _"That must be Wendy, Natsu's sister."_ He then remembered he was still smoking, and tried turning away for courtesy.

However, Wendy still looked his way.

"Huh?" She knew his face, but it took her a little while to muster up a guess. "Excuse me, are you Jellal from Magnolia?"

Jellal had no choice but to turn around. "Actually I am. You wouldn't happen to be Wendy Dragneel by any chance?"

Wendy lit up, and let her aunt walk inside to check in. "Actually yea that's me! My aunt and I finally made it into town!" She then looked around and noticed Jellal was standing alone.

"Um, I'm sorry for sounding rude, but why are you just standing out here alone? Aren't the other Fairies out for dinner? That's what Lucy told me, anyway."

Jellal tried to smile back. "Well, she's right, they went out a little while ago. I decided to stay in with my girlfriend."

Wendy paused for discomfort. "O-oh…well does she know you're out here by yourself? She didn't lock you out of the room did she?"

Jellal waved a hand. "Oh no, it's nothing like that. In fact we aren't even fighting. It's just…"

Wendy decided to answer for him. "Ohhhh…well, she probably knows you're feeling stressed out for tomorrow, so why don't you go find her? I'm sure she wouldn't like seeing you out here all alone."

Then, she laughed and turned for the door. "Well, my aunt is probably getting mad at me! I'll see you around!" Then, she grabbed her bags and ran on inside. "Good luck tomorrow!"

Jellal took a breath for a moment before letting out another smile. "Well, she's a bright little spirit." He then shook his head and smothered his cigarette that was still pretty fresh.

"Oh? Trying to hide one from me?"

"AGH!" Jellal's heart stopped as he heard a familiar female voice coming from the door behind him. As he turned back around, Erza was standing there leaning up against the wall with a sly grin.

"Erza?" He asked with confusion. He then shook his head. "I needed some fresh air. Those damned workers were out of the office again, and I…"

Erza couldn't stop smiling. "You don't need to explain anything to me, Jellal. I'm not your mother." Then, she walked forward. "And don't worry about that little mystery trinket in our room. I solved that problem."

"You? But what does that even mean…?" He stopped talking as Erza walked forward and leaned in to give him a kiss.

After the kiss, Erza continued. "Oh, and I found my bag, and I got the second key to our room."

Jellal paused for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "These things wouldn't all happen to be related, would they?"

Erza shrugged. "I suppose so? I also suppose it doesn't matter…you don't need any more stress. I can see tomorrow's game is already getting to you." She took the box of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed them in the trash. "I mean really? You gave those up last fall."

Jellal grinned. "Actually that memory is slowly returning. How did I quit?"

Erza rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and come inside. You look ridiculous standing out here."

As Erza towed Jellal back through the doors she let out one more proud smile. "Oh and don't worry, I have a feeling Minerva will be off your case for good."

* * *

 **DAYUM! Erza always fightin her own battles! She done good. Jellal is stressing out, but I have a feeling he'll be alright.**

 **Also, Gajeel feels the pressure coming tomorrow! Who will win the Fairies or the Phantoms? The rivalry of the ages clash in the Eastern Conference Finals!**

 **Comment and Review like always!**


	46. 46 - The Eastern Conference Final

**Author's Note: Okay, I have a long but veeeeeery entertaining chapter for ya today! (At least I was entertained while writing it!)**

 **Also, I forgot the real life NBA playoffs are now underway. Funny, it almost slipped my mind. I've stated before I'm from Ohio, but I guess I've never mentioned I'm a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. They can maybe make it to the finals...lol but Golden State is wayyyy too good to beat.**

 **Anyway, that's America, this is Fiore! Let's go!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Six - The Eastern Conference Finals

* * *

The FBA Championship game was only 2 nights away. The Western Conference Finals finished up the night before, and the FBA gave both prospective champions a day long break before the real action hit at the end of the week. That being said, the night ahead was sure to be a good one. It just so happened to be the Eastern Conference Finals, and this game featured one of the oldest rivalries in Fiore basketball history. The Fairies of Magnolia were going face to face with their sworn enemies on the court, the Oaktown Phantoms.

In playoffs past the Fairies actually dominated the record. Magnolia legends such as Yury Dreyar, Precht Gaebolg, Warrod Sequen, and even players in later history such as Makarov and Yajima all knew what it felt like to defeat a Phantom team in the heat of playoff competition. Sadly, more modern players like Ivan Dreyar, or even Laxus, Jellal, Natsu, and the rest had no idea what it was like to do so. The Fairies of today have failed to ever make a playoffs, and to top that the Phantoms dominated their regular season record 3 to 0.

However, one interesting element of tonight's game had to be Gajeel Redfox. Gajeel experienced a first-round playoff game with the Phantoms a year ago, but he never played. Now that very team was the one thing keeping him and his teammates from playing in the finals. If anyone tuned in to watch without any interest in basketball, they would sure be in for a treat. Still, as the Domus Flau stadium began gathering record breaking crowds, several key figures for both sides were just getting to their seats. Here, Jude Heartfilia walks along the club level hallway with the more expensive fans wondering all about. These fans were quickly trying to grab all they could from the concession stands, because the game was about to begin. However, Jude was paying little attention to them because his mind was clearly on something else.

Behind him, Caprico his trusty aid followed in his wake, and with Caprico, the team GM Levy McGarden walked with an awkward expression as the other two men remained very quiet.

"Sooo…was Warrod able to find his way to our booth?"

Caprico nodded, but never made a sound. Jude actually spoke in his place. "Yes, Mr. Sequen made it there very recently. I'm actually surprised he beat us there. Hopefully he's keeping the seats warm."

Levy awkwardly laughed. "Ahahaha…oh I gotta love that Jude Heartfilia sense of humor…" As she kept that under her breath, she stopped walking as Jude and Caprico halted their movements as well.

Jude then sighed as he looked ahead. "Well, this is quit the coincidence." He then waited as an older looking gentleman walked over to greet him. This man wore a multi-colored suit that was mainly dominated by a deep purple. He also kept his face covered by large glass that nearly looked like goggles, his hair was left at a medium length and colored dark burgundy.

Finally, the man let out a laugh. "Jude Heartfilia. I missed you this year in Oaktown. It's so… _good_ to see you."

Jude raised an eyebrow. "Geoffrey…well I must say I do enjoy seeing other team owners, but none more so than you."

Geoffrey rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "Oh that's such a sarcastic tongue you have there, Jude. Always the same, yet it is very surprising to see you Fairies made a trip all the way to Crocus this March."

Jude tried to make a quick leave. "Yes, well what can I say, my team has been playing well lately. They deserve this chance just like every other player out there."

Geoffrey stopped his movement. "Really? Good enough to sell for a high price?"

Levy narrowed her eyes at that comment. Jude then turned to confront Geoffrey.

"I suppose. In the meantime, why don't we just return to our booths and try watching the game in peace? It's sure to be a good one."

Geoffrey waved a hand. "Oh come now we all know how it will end! If that Western Conference game taught us anything it's that dominance always prevails. The Sabertooths learned that the hard way, and now Tartaros needs a good opponent in the final match…clearly something your team won't deliver."

Jude went to speak, but a new guest came out of nowhere and beat him to the punch.

"Gentlemen! Oh it is good to see you both in the same place!"

Jude and Geoffrey lost their impressed expressions as the infamous owner of Tartaros, Mard Geer made his way over with a sly expression, and his loyal GM Keyes tailing at his back.

"Hah, who would have guessed it? The Fairies vs the Phantoms, two teams who desperately hate each other competing to play the Devils."

Geoffrey bit his tongue, while Jude closed his eyes. "Mard, I'll be blunt with you. I'm not about to have any conversation with you regarding my team or the game ahead. My focus is on Oaktown and Magnolia."

Mard Geer liked his brash attitude. "Ah, Heartfilias earn a spine in the playoffs? That's certainly very new to the league. Tell me, have you and Sequen finished a deal yet? I hear the news is going over very well with your team. No doubt your daughter is already in love with the idea."

Levy started getting angry and finally stood up to Jude's aid. "Jude, I'm sorry, but the game is about to start, and Mr. Sequen is waiting."

Jude took a minute to collect both Mard Geer's attitude, and Levy's reaction. He then sighed and turned to his GM.

"Very well, Ms. McGarden. You appear to be right…Geoffrey, good luck to the Phantoms."

"Yes…" Geoffrey awkwardly responded as he kept his eyes on Mard. "…Likewise." He then turned in the opposite direction from Jude and made an escape as well.

As the two competing owners and their followers left, Mard Geer turned to his GM, Keyes.

"If the Fairies happen to win the fight…schedule a meeting with the Salamander."

 _~Now, down on the court._

"GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO CROCUS! WE HAVE THE GAME OF THE YEAR HERE, TONIGHT! THE FAIRIES ARE SET TO FACE OFF AGAINST THEIR SWORN RIVALS, THE PHANTOMS!"

Everyone cheered with tenacity and rage before the announcer could speak up again.

"The FBA would like to remind passionate fans of both sides to please enjoy the game while also trying to respect your neighbors and opposing fans. Failure to abide by FBA stadium policy will result in immediate ejection from the game, stadium, and tournament."

As the fans began to heat up, the players readied themselves for the beginning of the match.

"Alright Elfman! Just get those hands on the ball and get me a pass! I'll get us in the lead and make sure to keep it this time!" Natsu walked over to his stretching teammate and gave him a high five.

Elfman scratched his head. "Okay, but no surprises like the last time. I was expecting to get the ball a little closer to the rim, not forcing me to throw up a half court prayer."

Gray laughed. "Yea, but that would have been less badass. That shot was unbelievable."

Natsu agreed. "Yea! Now we just gotta get Jellal on the same level, and who knows? Maybe we'll break a scoring record!"

"You can just relax, Natsu." Said the witty Erza trying to help Jellal stretch his leg. "I'm fully confident that he'll be playing at the top of his game, tonight."

Jellal shook his head. "Right…but just let me be the one to tell him thaaaaaa…!" She started bending his leg too far, and to his discomfort he could barely speak.

Natsu and the other laughed, and even Laxus who found a cozy spot on the bench let out a smile. He then turned to a very quiet and composed Gajeel sitting on the other end of the bench.

"Hey, got something stuck up your ass? Watching the girl nearly tear off Jellal's leg even made me laugh."

Gajeel never responded.

Laxus rolled his eyes and turned to the other side of the bench, where Makarov looked deep in thought with his arms folded.

"You gotta be kidding me…Gramps, don't let these fools tune you out. If anyone knows how to beat Jose, it's you or Gajeel."

Makarov sighed. "I'm not worried about Jose, entirely. This will be the hardest game of these young men's lives. And even if they win…the next one will be far worse."

Laxus made no hesitation. "Oh for the love of…look forget about those creepy Tartaros guys. We have a game to win here."

 _*WHISTLE*_

Mest and Lahar signaled for the beginning of the game, and right then both teams began setting up for the opening tipoff.

"YOU CAN DO IT GRAY!" Juvia yelled from her low level seat as the Fairies took their places. Meldy and Lyon were out for the night, and were planning on coming in to the finals (if they liked the match up.) However, Lucy still joined her down in their seats to avoid staying in the booth with her father.

"Well this is gonna be pretty big…I just hope Levy will be okay." Lucy as worried after Levy told her about the awkward press conference from the night before. As a result, she decided to shoot a quick text to her blue haired friend.

 **"** **Try not to freak out, okay girl ;)"**

After barely waiting a second, Levy responded.

 **"** **Oh I'll be fine…just trying to keep your dad calm ;p"**

That response made Lucy paused for a moment. She had forgotten about her dad for the majority of the trip to Crocus. More so because she had decided to stay with Natsu in his hotel room instead. In any case Juvia and Lucy weren't alone, and just for the night, someone else came down to join them in Meldy's free seat.

"This is soo amazing!" Wendy said as she looked around. "These seats are really low! I hope Aunt Porlyusca doesn't get mad at me for going to the game, tonight!"

Lucy laughed. "Wendy, from the vibe I received your aunt was really happy to let you come to the game. That being said didn't see want to come watch too?"

Wendy paused. "Yea, but she needs another day's rest after the fly in. Plus she's waiting for Natsu's college coach, and a few other people. I think Gray's parents might show up if we win, and their coach may invite some of their Acalypha teammates."

Lucy rubbed her neck. "Wow, they sure seem pretty confident that we'll win this…"

Juvia stopped her there. "Oh of course! Our Fairies have this in the bag! YOU CAN DO IT GRAAAAAY!"

Gray and the others rolled their eyes, and as Elfman took his place at center circle, the other team took their place as well.

"It's a sorrowful sight indeed…" Aria said with a sad tone in his voice. He then started crying. "…WHY MUST WE KEEP SUCH A YOUNG SOUL FROM PLAYING IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!?"

"AGH!" Elfman wiped some tears off his arm. "Get a grip, will ya? I'm not going down that easily!"

Aria wiped the tears from his eyes and lowered his stance. "Ah…if you insist."

Then, Mest blew his whistle, and with a roaring crowd keeping up the atmosphere, the game began. Elfman missed the ball as Aria was far too fast for his size, which only spelled trouble for the Strauss rookie center. However, Aria quickly dumped a nice pass off to his Point Guard Sol, who was more than happy to get back under the angry Natsu's skin for the fourth time this season.

"Ah, if it isn't mon vieil ami, ze fiery Salamandre! Oh ce magnifique!" Sol started laughing as Natsu twitching eye was slowly returning.

"AGH THIS BOZO AGAIN! I CAN'T TAKE IT!" Natsu swiped furiously at Sol's dribbling hands, but the Phantom PG was far too quick like usual.

As Sol started getting craftier and craftier, he went to make his move. "Ah you never change, Monsieur Dragneel. You will always be one step below my style of…" However, as he went to pass, Natsu changed his face.

"Oh I'm sorry, did ya think I was still mad? AHAHAHAHA!" Natsu laughed hysterically as he tipped the pass, and led a new assault down the court.

Sol was dumbstruck as his teammates rushed passed him, but we all ultimately too slow to beat Natsu to the rim. Surely and quickly, the Salamander delivered his promise and got the Fairies up by 2.

"AND THE FAIRIES TAKE THE FIRST POINTS! THIS WILL BE A GOOD ONE, FOLKS!"

"OH YEA!" Lucy cheered and high fived the even more excited Wendy, while Juvia also smiled and waved her hands in the air.

Natsu turned and gave Lucy and Wendy a wink, while also running over to Gray.

"See? Do I ever let this team down?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Only when you act like that…" He then prepped for the Phantom counter.

Right away, Sol looked annoyed. "Well, zis is surely a surprising facteur…I suppose I must step up my game." He then started scanning the floor for options.

"I am truly the master when I am on the court. LE POINT GUARD SUPÉRIEUR!" He then twirled around, and shot off a pass to his right hand man, Totomaru.

Without hesitation, Totomaru ignored Jellal's horrible defiance, and looked right at a running Gajeel as he successfully made an easy 3-pointer.

"AND THE FIERY SPIRIT OF THE PHANTOMS MAKES A THREE!"

"Grr…" Natsu got angry. "I'll show ya a fiery spirit…" He then took the ball form Gray's inbound and quickly took it up the field.

"JUST WATCH! THESE COWARDS AIN'T GOT NOTHING ON US!" Natsu went under his legs with his dribble, faked out Sol, crossed over in his side step, and let up a flawless shot of his own.

Sadly, it bounced off the rim. However, before Boze or Aria could get a hand on it, Gajeel plowed through the air and slammed the ball in the net. Fans went nuts, and before Natsu could think Gajeel ran up to him.

"Quit with the flash…ass."

Natsu blinked a few times and let Gajeel run down the court. He then slowly turned to Gray who responded.

"Okay, I'm not sure what he told you, and I'm not sure what's going on between you two…but let's knock it off."

Natsu shook his head rapidly. "Yea…right." He then tried gearing himself back up for the game. Sol made haste in his trip down court, and once he met up with Natsu he had more suave tricks up his sleeve.

"Oh no no no! You cannot give up on me zis quickly in ze game!" He laughed as Natsu was getting angry again.

"HUH?" Natsu argued. "I ain't givin up anything!"

Sol raised an eyebrow. "Really? What's stopping me from advancing to ze right?"

Natsu never verbally responded and quickly moved right, which prompted Sol to take the drive left and pass it off to Totomaru. As the fiery Phantom shooter received the ball, he let up another shot. However, this one was better contested by Jellal, and as a result hit off the rim and bounced back down.

As it fell to the court, Aria and Bose tried swooping in to grab it, but Gajeel beat both of them to the punch. He then panted his feet and tossed it back up court to Natsu.

Then, he looked to a stunned Aria and Boze. "Get used to that, chumps. I'll be bringing it all night."

Aria had no response as he noticed the Fairies scored at the other end of the court. This time Natsu swiftly passed the ball to a wide open Jellal, who made little effort in making his shot. After that, Sol brought the ball back down to the other end, where he was waiting to deliver his next pass. Without hesitation, Sol quickly dumped it off to Kagiyama, his Small Forward. Kagi tried getting around Gray, but as soon as he sent up a shot Gajeel came in and disrupted his shot.

"FOUL ON #11 REDFOX! PHANTOM GET'S 2!"

Kagi laughed to look at an angry Gajeel, but Gajeel didn't look angry from receiving a foul call at all. He just looked determined. This sent a chill down Kagi's spine, which forced him to miss his first shot.

The crowd gasped, and Makarov raised an eyebrow. Then, Kagi sent up another shot, and missed it to. Luckily Aria was taller than Elfman and Gajeel, and boxed them out for the put away 2 pointer."

Gajeel laughed. "HA! You fools don't know what I'm doing at all." He then followed Totomaru down to the other end. "Look out pretty boy, you're up next."

Totomaru rolled his eyes, and then waved Boze off to mark Jellal. He decided to keep up with Gajeel himself, for old time's sake. As a result, Natsu jokingly passed it off to Jellal, who's style of play was too quick for Bose, and resulted in another 3-pointer for Magnolia. The Fairy bench was caught off guard by the good style of ball, but either way Erza looked down to an unimpressed Makarov.

He then sighed. "Relax…this is just the first quarter."

Time passed, and the game barely changed. Magnolia held a decent lead, and every time the Phantoms tried a surprise play Gajeel stepped in and disrupted it flawlessly. He earned another foul, and howled as Boze suffered the same fate as Kagi and ended up missing his shots. This happened late in the second, and ended once again with Aria getting two from a rebound.

On the other end the Fairies were keeping their competitors honest. Jellal would make an occasional perimeter shot, and Natsu and Gray worked the outside. Meanwhile Gajeel had virtually no offense, which prompted Elfman to try twice as hard, with little to no effect. This style of lay wasn't strange for Magnolia, but it was all new to Elfman. They were use to facing off against some of the most feared big men in the league. Jura, Hoteye, and now Aria for the 4th time in the year. Sure Elfman had played well in his first 3 games, but this was a whole new team for him, and he didn't match up well with the Phantom's style at all.

Then, right as the half went to end, Totomaru went up to shoot a last second 3-pointer, and although Jellal took it as a desperation shot, Gajeel ran in to block it either way.

"OUCH! That's Gajeel's 3rd foul of the game, and Totomaru gets 3 free throws."

Fairy fans booed, and Lucy looked up to try to find her father's booth. She mainly wanted to see Levy's reaction, but to no avail her seats couldn't be found.

Then, as Totomaru flawlessly earn 3 easy points, the Phantoms took a one-point lead heading into the second half.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Natsu barked into Gajeel's ear as the Fairies sat inside their locker room. "WE HAD THEM!"

Gajeel cleared the earwax out of his ear. "Would you just relax? That ass won't pull it off again."

Natsu ran his hands though his messy hair. "YEA? Well had I earned a stupid foul like that you'd be all over my ass! I'm just tryin to return the favor."

Gajeel had no response, and as the team locker room fell silent, Makarov spoke up.

"Gajeel, you have 3 fouls heading into the second half…that's an awfully dangerous strategy to pull off this early in the game."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and sucked on his water bottle. "So what? We'll be fine. Jellal's shooting lights out, and Gray and Salamander aren't playin half bad around the arc."

Laxus stood up. "Not the point. You got on Natsu for doing dumb shit in the first quarter, then you go pull off that foul with Totomaru…"

He then left the locker room early and went back outside into the court. As time passed the Fairies came out on separate accords, with the exception of one. Gajeel remained alone for a moment to collect a breath.

"Buncha morons. I'm not letting any of them ruin this for me. Those Phantom bastards robbed me last season, and I expect to get my…"

"Will you let me ruin it for you instead?"

Gajeel turned to find Levy standing alone inside the locker room with him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Shrimp what the hell are you doing in here?"

Levy laughed and kept a hand behind her head in embarrassment. "Honestly I don't know. I noticed you weren't out on the court with anyone else yet, so I rushed down here to see what's up before the second half begins."

Gajeel leaned back on a locker and rolled his eyes. "Pff…nothing's wrong. Just dealing with some idiots."

"Is that so?" Levy said with sarcasm. "Well, everyone else would probably point their finger in a different direction."

Gajeel took offense. "Woah, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Levy smiled and walked over to Gajeel, and as soon as she stopped in front of him, she grabbed his hands.

"I'm saying you're playing this game all wrong…It's kind of funny, I've fought with you all season long about your temper. How you make decisions based on anger, how you impulsively try to protect me at press conferences. How you try getting in fights with players and fans. How you…"

"Yea yea, I get it. I'm an ass hole." He replied quickly to let her finish.

She laughed. "Right, you are." She then pulled him to his feet with all the strength that she had.

Luckily he was intrigued, and followed her all the way up as she explained. "But now I see I was wrong too. That's not a bad thing to have, Gajeel. You can be angry…just try and do it right."

Gajeel looked confused as he raised an eyebrow. "Shrimp, you sorta lost me the moment you set foot in this place."

Levy smiled and wrapped her arms around his broad waste. "I know I did, but don't worry, I'll help ya out with the rest of the game. Now listen…"

* * *

Now the second half was under way. The Fairies looked to be laying very passive ball, and with Elfman showing little confidence and Gajeel acting weird all of a sudden their defense was hardly formidable.

This made Totomaru laugh. " _Riiight_. Sol, just keep the ball low and let the Real Man and Ol' Metal Face there take the hits. They can rack up some more fouls for us."

Sol agreed because he too could tell Gajeel and Elfman were looking frustrated. "Ah I fully agree, mon bold compagnon!" He then worked it down to Kagiyama, who easily passed Gray, and delivered a pass to Aria.

The crying giant lived up to his name as soon as the ball touched his hands. "OH WHY MUST TWO WONDERFUL ATHLETES GIVE UP THE FIGHT THIS EARLY IN THE GAME!? TRULY A HORRIBLE SIGHT TO BE…"

He went to continue, but Gajeel struck with another foul, earning his fourth of the game.

"Well, Gajeel looks to be in foul trouble, but no movement from Makarov or the bench."

As a result, Makarov instead looked to Erza. "He baited Sol with a move to Aria. He knows Aria shoots worse that their perimeter players, so he let up on defense and waited to draw them in."

Erza nodded. "Yes, but with only one more foul to give, how far can he take that style of play?"

Makarov scratched his chin. "Hopefully…at least to the fourth quarter."

Now knowing Gajeel only had one more trick up his sleeve, the Phantoms did not let up on the low play, but instead utilized Aria and Boze to acquire more and more points under the rim.

As a result, Natsu, Jellal, and Gray stepped up just barely to keep them alive, but their hopes of obtaining a lead like this was quickly running out.

As the third was coming to an end, Sol found Totomaru and Gajeel awfully close. Knowing a Toto basket would give them momentum, he expected Gajeel to jump and foul, but instead Jellal missed, and Gajeel never acted, letting the Phantoms earn 3 more.

As the buzzer ended the 3rd quarter, Totomaru laughed and looked to Gajeel. "Man, I bet you wanted to smack me so hard just then…"

Gajeel never smiled. "Yea? Try it again next quarter. Then we'll see what happens."

* * *

As that quarter came and went fans were going insane with the level of drama currently being released on the court. Jellal and Totomaru were on fire, Natsu and Sol kept the pace of the game fats and relentless, and Gray and Kagiyama left a good matchup around the rim.

Sadly, Elfman was still too worn out to keep up with Aria, and Gajeel was behaving awkwardly around the useless Boze. Then, late in the quarter, Phantom looked to gain a bigger lead. Now with Sol sitting at the point, he began scanning the court in search of a good option. Obviously, his best bet was the towering Aria below the rim. He then sent the ball flying over Natsu's head and into the tall Center's arms, who the turned to deliver a basket But…

"FOUL ON #20 STRAUSS! PHANTOM SHOOTS 2!"

"UGH…!" Aria collapsed to the ground thinking Gajeel was the one manned up on him, but it was in fact Elfman who took the foul instead. He knew he had no shot at making baskets, but he hoped to bate the Redfox to make his last foul before they regretted it.

Either way, he now had to leave the low post and go to the line. With laughter in the crowd and tears in his masked eyes, he missed the first shot.

"AGH!" Totomaru yelled. "JUST TRY IT UNDERHANDED! ANYTHING BUT THIS!"

Meanwhile, Jose was starting to tense up at the sideline, because he knew something fishy was about to happen. While Aria shot his 2nd shot, it bounced off the rim and into the hands of Elfman.

"OKAY NATSU! HERE'S ME RETURNING THE FAVOR!" Laughing, Elfman hurled the rock like a football down the court to Natsu, mimicking their play form the last game.

Laughing even harder, Natsu grabbed the ball in the last minute, and faked the impending Sol on his right. He then twisted around and delivered a pass to Jellal.

"SHOOT!" Erza gasped with fear, and without a second doubt, Jellal made a 3 and claimed a Fairy lead by 1.

Jose called a time out, and made a plan, but while they did the Fairies neve even made it back to the bench.

"What the hell?" Kagiyama yelled out. "They're not even making a plan!"

Jose rolled his eyes and had Aria garb Kagi to pull him back it. They then continued with a plan. Now, with less than 20 second left and no shot clock, Sol had the ball and Natsu's full attention.

"Alright peanut butter mouth, let's see what ya got!" Natsu laughed as he stood in a defensive stance against the Francophile point guard. "I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

Sol looked determined, and also slightly angry. As a result he held the ball and looked to his teammates. He let Kagiyama wonder up to take a pass, and then received another one to whittle away clock.

Makarov looked amused. "They're letting the clock expire, but this could be their down fall."

Now, with barely any time left on the clock, Sol received his final pas, and dumped it off to the team's best shooter.

"TOTO!" He yelled frantically as the fiery Totomaru received the ball. Laughing, he turned to shoot, but instead of seeing Jellal, he greeted a flying shoulder from Gajeel right in his face.

 _*SLAM!*_

Totomaru flew into his team's bench, nearly hitting Jose, but successfully running into several Phantom scrubs. The refs blew the whistle and pointed for Gajeel's immediate ejection, which he would have earned anyway by a normal foul out. Totomaru was helped to his feet, but barely looked fit to play.

Laughing, Gajeel walked off and received a mixed chorus of boos and cheers. He also raised a hand and pointed to his owner Jude's booth, but it wasn't Jude to which he was pointing too.

"That one's for you, kid." He laughed as he figured Levy was looking his way. While Lahar set up the other end for shots, Mest leaned over to the departing Gajeel and tried to get his attention.

"Hey, we'll let you stay to see the end, you know? Don't you wanna find out who's gonna win!?"

Gajeel laugh, and waited for the crowd to die down as Totomaru missed his first shot. "Nah, I know how it's gonna end already." Seeing Totomaru barely stand up from the knock out was all he needed to ensure a victory.

As Gajeel walked alone inside the exiting tunnel, a cocky smile covered his face.

 _"_ _Well what'ya know? Playing like a mad men sure is fun."_

He then continued as the sweet sound he expected to hear graced his eardrums.

"AND HE MISSES BOTH SHOTS! THE MAGNOLIA FAIRIES HAVE SUMMONED A MIRACLE HERE IN CROCUS, AND ARE NOW HEADED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!"

* * *

 **AGHHHHHHHHHHH! WE'RE GOING ALL THE WAY! Magnolia beats Phantom!**

 **Now...Tartaros**


	47. 47 - The Calm before the Storm

**Author's Note: WOOOOOO! We've hit chapter 47! For those of you who don't know my current longest story is 46 chapters, and now that this story has grown longer I can now say _Hardcourt Heroes_ has officially broken every record on my page!**

 **Also, this will be a good one for ya! I imagine it'll be a fan favorite chapter too. I get a lot of requests for more minor characters, so I basically made this one a big ol party featuring all the minor characters that needed some extra light. Sorry if their scenes are a little short, but as I explained...they are minor characters lol.** **Anyway I hope you enjoy**

 **Also I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Seven - The Calm Before the Storm

* * *

 _~Just after the Magnolia win in the Eastern Conference Finals_

"COACH MAKAROV! WHAT WAS THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS!? WAS IT YOUR BOYS PLAYING LIKE ALL STARS, OR THE PHANTOMS NOT SHOWING US THEIR TRUE TALENT!?"

Crowds of press reporters and photographers swarmed the post-game press conference as the two coaches and GM met for the meeting. Prior to playing, we all remember the Fairies storming out on a sour note, but now…

"BAHAHAHA!" Makarov laughed into his microphone as he clutched his new Eastern Conference Trophy like a new born baby. "Why don't we just say both!? It's pretty obvious those Phantom boys didn't show up to play AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Another reporter raised an eye brow. "That's quit the cocky attitude to hold, Coach. The win was great, but was it worth it to see Gajeel get ejected like that? After all, he will have to face reinstatement before the final game, with a chance that he might not even be able to play."

Makarov laughed even louder. "HA! YOU THINK GAJEEL CARES ABOUT THAT!? I HAVE A FULL BENCH OF ALL STARS WHO ARE ALL HUNGRY FOR VICTORY!"

As Makarov continued to laugh like a mad scientist, Levy smiled but grabbed the bridge of her nose with two fingers. She then tried holding in a smile as the crowd turned to the Phantoms.

Another reporter started off once again. "Coach Porla, what caused your men to choke in their 4th game vs the Fairies? Was the stress of actually making it to the finals too much, or were they too busy prepping for Tartaros?"

Jose rolled his eyes, he knew a trick question when he heard one. "I believe that's all rather irrelevant at this point…"

Makarov shook his head. "Oh no! Answer the damned question, ya sore loser!"

Jose started growling, and stood up. As Makarov tensed up, he brought out the trophy like a baseball bat, but then Jose sighed and turned to the crowd.

"Let me just congratulate the Fairies on their incredible win…and I truly do wish them the best of luck heading into the championship game. Correct me if I'm wrong Makarov, but I don't believe your boys have played the Devils this season…"

Makarov's mind snapped back into the conference, and he then quickly sank into his seat. Then, Jose and Sue left their table, and the crowd turned to their last willing official.

"Ms. McGarden, would you like to take credit for any part of this miraculous season? After all it was your phenomenal work in the off season that seemed to spark the fire underneath the Fairies."

Makarov turned and gave Levy a smile, and she in turn let out a laugh.

"Well, I think we just have a wonderful organization in Magnolia, and as far as your question goes…I do believe we still have one more game to play."

A woman stood up next. "This is for either of you. What are the new details regarding Jude Heartfilia's interest in selling the team?"

Levy lowered her head in a concerned manner while Makarov obtained a serious demeanor. "Well Mr. Warrod Sequen seems so show interest, but that's only if Jude is truly intending to sell the team. These _are_ rumors after all."

Finally, one more reporter stood up. "One last question for each of you. There are more rumors floating around that Tartaros is already planning for next season. They appear to be fielding interviews with free agents, and several well-known players already on teams, and they also have an interest in acquiring a new point guard. Ms. McGarden, are you worried Tartaros will try and poach any of your players? And Coach Dreyar, are you worried Tartaros in undermining your chances at winning this upcoming game?"

Without hesitation Levy and Makarov looked each other in the eyes, and then turned to the man.

"No."

* * *

Following that rare press conference that actually ended well, we now find Makarov and Levy walking down the streets of Crocus to locate the rest of their team in the Honey Bone Tavern. Makarov was walking ahead, already half intoxicated while he played with his trophy like a toy, and Levy was also being joined by Gajeel, who stayed after to wait on his coach and GM.

Levy smiled and held his arm while they both looked down at their goofy friend. "Isn't he just the funniest coach in the league?"

Gajeel cracked a smile. "Yea, funny's definitely one way of puttin' it…"

Levy then looked up to Gajeel. "So be honest, are you worried you might not get to play in the championship?"

Gajeel removed his arm from her grip and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Nah, I bet they'll let me. It's not the worst thing I've done, and they'll find Toto egging me on in the footage." Then he got a smug look on his face.

"Besides, you're the one who should be worrying. If I don't play you'll have no reason to watch."

Levy shook her head. "Who says I even like watching you, anyway? The other players are just as fun to see. Natsu's so energetic, Gray and Elfman love playing team basketball, and Jellal is really making the most of his comeback season."

Gajeel brought her in closer. "Shrimp, you can lie about watchin those losers all ya want. I'm the only reason you come to games."

Levy face palmed. "Gajeel, it's my job, remember…?"

He laughed. "HAHAHA! Keep telling yourself that, Short Stuff."

Levy never removed her hand from her face. "Did he get a head injury in that game too!?" As Levy questioned the mental health of her boyfriend, Makarov finally made a turn inside a door.

"HERE IT IS!" He busted open the door of the Honey Bone and ran right for the massive crowd of teammates and FBA players. Levy and Gajeel followed, and received a large standing ovation from everyone inside.

"THERE HE IS!" Elfman let go of Evergreen at the bar and ran over to grab Gajeel in his arms. "THE REAL MAN OF THE EVENING!"

Gajeel's eyes started twitching. "OKAY THIS REAL MAN IS STARTING TO GET REAL PISSED!"

Elfman let him down and made time for Evergreen and the others to walk over as well. "Well, you certainly had us worried the whole game, Gajeel. I take it Makarov had a good press conference?"

They all turned to find the coach order multiple shots at the bar. Levy then sighed. "Eh, let's just say it was one of the more entertaining press conferences this year." She then looked around and saw a much larger crowd than usual. "Wow, there are so many people here! This can't all be for Magnolia."

"It is!" Bisca came over to join them. "Turns out we have a lot of fans coming in to watch us, including most of the players from other teams."

Bisca was right. The Pegasus team, The Lamias, the Sabers, the Cerberuses, even friends from Erza's college team all ventured in to the party. Apparently the organization had rented out the bar for the full evening as soon as the Fairies won the game. Then, a tall black haired man came over to join Bisca, and he was holding a tiny little girl with black hair and a cowboy hat. "Congrats on the win, guys! It's so nice to get out of town every once in a while, but it's even better when we get to watch you all in the playoffs!"

Bisca laughed and took the girl from her hands. "Yea, well you two only came to watch mommy do her work, ain't that right Aska?"

"YEA!" The little cowgirl yelled. "I also wanted to see the Faiwies win too!"

Levy giggled. "Thanks Aksa, and thank you for coming to Alzack!"

Bisca's partner nodded. "Hey no problem, after all I'm not the only one who made the trip out."

As we turn to the bar we find out Alzack was right. Here we find Makarov drinking with several coaching friends.

"TAKE A LOOK HERE BOYS! AIN'T SHE A BEAUT!?" He flashed the trophy for all the coaches to see, but right away the female Coach Babasaama rolled her eyes.

"That thing is ridiculous. It's not even the league title trophy!"

Then Coach Bob of the Pegasus team let out a sigh and smiled. "Oh quit your complaining, dear. Those Fairies deserve all the praise they can get! Such a good looking bunch of athletes!"

Another coach dressed in dark Cerberus gear started laughing as well, and leaned over the bar with a drink in his hand. "Man, Bob's right on that one. You boys played a hell of a game tonight, Makarov. That's pretty wild if ya go askin' me."

Then, one very familiar coach with short red hair and rough facial hair stepped up and took the trophy. "Actually, I'd like to take some of the credit in winning this thing. After all your two all-star rookies came from _my_ program."

Makarov started growling. "Gildarts I'll rip that arm out if you think about taking that trophy from me!"

Coach Clive from Acalypha University laughed. "Hey no need to get hostile old man! I just came to give you guys a cheer. I missed the game, but I'll be there to watch the final…" He then got a sly grin on his face and dragged over one of the familiar Fairy cheerleaders. "Well that and I wanted to see my precious pumpkin Cana cheering her wittle heart out in the finals!"

Cana rolled her eyes as she tried to put a bottle of liquor to her lips. "Dad…shut up."

As the elder group was enjoying the night, we now find more non-Fairy players getting reacquainted with one another.

"Wow, they sure sound like crap!" Sting started laughing as his obnoxious teammate Orga was singing bad rap karaoke, and his other, more serious teammate Rufus was playing an accompanying keyboard that the bar supplied. Sting rolled his eyes and turned back to his group, while also tapping a bottle across the table. "But anyway, Lyon you guys almost had Magnolia beat in that first round!"

Lyon cocked and eyebrow as he accepted the gesture. "Very true, but losing at the last second allowed the Lamias to go out on a high note, unlike that Saber team of yours losing to Tartaros in such an ugly manor."

Sting laughed. "Yea, that was kinda sad, but hey! We made it there, that's all I can be happy about!" He then turned to one side to find his buddy Rogue looking rather lowly at his beer.

"Come on man, what the hell has gotten into you?" Sting asked, but as Rogue never answered he made his own answer. "Oh for the love of…Rogue, Minerva doesn't like you! Give it up!"

Rogue sighed. "No it's not that…she's just been in bed all day…apparently her head has been feeling sore, but she won't tell me any more than that…"

Jellal heard that conversation from across the room, and then turned to find a very smug Erza grinning with delight as she sipped on her red wine. After that he nearly choked on his drink in a shocking realization.

Now, returning to Sting's table, Yukino leaned over to try and cheer Rogue up too. "It's okay, Rogue! I'll talk to her tomorrow. Maybe then she'll…"

"Relax!" Sting laughed as he forced Yukino back in her seat. "Don't let the kill joy ruin the evening! Let's celebrate!"

Meldy kept her arm around Lyon's arm but let out a laugh. "Wow, such a great FBA player. Celebrating your own team's loss and another team's win."

Sting smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, why do I care? Anyone who challengss Tartaros is a clear friend of mine!"

The group all nodded to that, and even Rogue joined in on their toast to the night. As everyone started to truly enjoy the night, we now find Mirajane Strauss eyeballing everyone in the space with a bright smile on her face.

"Oooooo! This is so much fun!" She said as she held one arm around Laxus's left. "The game is going to be even better! Though it will be a little stressful…"

"A little!?" Bickslow removed himself from Lisanna's grip and slammed a glass on the table. "I probably won't even play and I'm freaking out!"

Lisanna rubbed his arm and laughed. "That's the spirit…I guess. Anyway, are you worried Laxus? I bet this is probably pretty big for you!"

Mira laughed and rubbed his sore elbow. "I bet he is! He's been acting really nice all week…which is usually a sign that he's going crazy."

Laxus rolled his eyes and grabbed a beer. "Eh…I just got a lot of crap on my mind."

"Yea I bet you do…" Bickslow started to chuckle because he was in on Laxus's secret. He gave Laxus a nudge and tried holding in a laugh, which started making Laxus's angrier by the second.

Mira shook her head and smiled with innocence. "Oh you boys are soo funny…I bet you can't wait for the season to be over!"

Laxus laughed at the irony of her words. "Yea, some more than others…"

As they were enjoying their meal, we now find Gray and Juvia sitting at their own table with the worst company imaginable. Sitting across from them was the niece of the Pegasus Coach Bob, Jenny. With her was her recently betrothed husband and notorious liar, Bora Sinclair.

Gray rolled his eyes and kept his stair down at the floor. "Juvia why are we doing this…?"

Juvia held on to Gray's arm tightly. "Because we're trying to be good people, Gray. Plus I'd like to get to know Jenny a little better!"

Bora and Jenny laughed, while Jenny spoke first. "I can imagine this might be hard, but I heard you two used to date, Juvia?"

The blue haired beauty with Gray held her smile and nodded. "Yes, but it's quite obvious the two of you belong together. After all you both look so… _good_ together!"

Jenny smiled and grabbed Bora's arm. "Oh that's so sweet of you to say!"

Juvia laughed, but only because she was trying to force the next conversation. "So I hear you're going to school as well? Funny, I was almost sure that was the reason Bora and I broke up! Tell me what are you studying again?"

Jenny leaned forward. "Oh I'm going for Med School! I thought it'd be harder, and I sorta have a hard time with the tests, but for some reason I keep getting good grades no matter what!"

"Yea I bet you're a real _Straight A_ student…" Gray rolled his eyes but kept his glance turned away, because as Jenny leaned over the table to tell Juvia the news the low neck line on her shirt left little to the imagination.

Juvia tried holding a laugh in. "Yes…well…you sure sound like a keeper! I'm bad with medical jargon, but I always love to learn!"

Bora was now getting annoyed like Gray. "Oh come now, sweetie, you don't need to bore these people with you school talk."

Jenny turned to her husband. "Oh knock it off, Juvia and I were talking!" She then gathered up another smile. "Here's a topic my friends were discussing the other day...Did you guys know the brain is actually a muscle?! I heard that and nearly lost my mind!"

"No…it isn't." Gray said with a lowly voice.

Juvia started losing control of her laughter, but waved at Gray to shut up. "No no…I think I heard that too…How fascinating!"

Bora shook his head. "Jenny, weren't you just telling me you had to use the restroom?"

Jenny started to ponder that thought. "Huh, I sort of remember…?"

Juvia jumped up. "Oh I'll join you! Please tell me more about the wonderful knowledge you possess as a med student!"

"Okay!" Jenny lit up as Juvia escorted her to the restroom. "Here's another good on! My friends in class were telling me water isn't actually that important for humans as we think, and that…" As Jenny was debriefing Juvia on the vast world of medical science, Gray looked at Bora.

"Wow, you sure bagged a know-it-all there."

Bora raised a glass, but kept his eye on Jenny's backside. "Well, I'll go ahead and say her brain isn't the reason I married her…" He then turned back to Gray. "Okay, why the hell did we have to meet like this?"

Gray let out a smirk. "I dunno? You're the two crashing my victory party. It's only fair you give me a little congrats first."

Bora grinned. "Such a funny one, Gray…you're still worried about me buying up those restaurants in Magnolia, aren't you?"

Gray set his drink down. "Bora come on. You know you can't afford that crap. You're just doing it to stick in Juvia's head, but now you guys are clearly getting along."

Bora nodded but took another sip form his glass. "True…but come on. I'd like to keep the game between you and the Devils as exciting as possible."

As Gray and Bora continued their light hearted argument, we now find another table featuring some friendly faces.

"Well Sherry told me you were pretty but she never told me you were prettier than she was!" Eve Tearm held the hand of the young Sherria Blendy, as she sat with Wendy and Romeo.

Sherria's face was now the same color as her pink hair. "Oh well I wouldn't be that mean to Sherry…but thank you!"

Wendy started giggling as she looked to her close friend. "Sherria, why don't you invite Eve to sit with us?" She only suggested that because Eve's original tale was being taken over by the massive PDA between Sherria's older sister, and Eve's teammate Ren.

As Eve joined the table, Romeo started looking around the room. "Hey Wendy, where's your brother…?"

Wendy stopped think for a moment, and scratched her head. "Um…I dunno. Now that you mention it, Lucy's not here either?' She then got curious and sent Lucy a text.

 **"** **Hey, we're all at the Honey Bone bar celebrating the win! It'd be nice to see you guys here!"**

* * *

~At the other end of the text, inside their spacious upper floor hotel room.

* * *

Lucy was lying alone on the bed as Natsu was still in the bathroom. She just received Wendy's text, and started getting antsy.

"Oh come on Natsu! Wendy's texting me! I think everyone started without us!"

"HOWLD UR HOWRSES!" Natsu said as he was clearly brushing his teeth inside the bathroom. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Yea, you could have just told me that after you finished…" She then noticed Natsu's phone buzzing on the side table. As Natsu opened the door, he finished buttoning up his white dress shirt without a tie. Then Lucy pointed to his phone. "Hey check to see if that's another person at the bar."

"Okay!" Natsu said with cheer as he walked over. He then grabbed his phone and opened the message.

"It says it's from…" After reading he had no idea how to answer that, because there was no name attached to the text.

 **"** **Natsu Dragneel…Room 380. Come alone."**

"…" Natsu had no idea what to make of the text, and as his silence filled the room Lucy sat up.

"N-Natsu…is everything alright?"

Natsu didn't want to reply, and he had no idea what the message was about. However, room 380 wasn't that far from his and Lucy's so he figured if he didn't go, there would probably be an even worse resolve.

"Hold on Lucy, I gotta step out for a moment…give me 10 minute."

As Natsu put on his black blazer he turned to the door. Lucy looked worried as he made his leave, but nodded anyway. "Okay, I'll be her when you get back…"

Natsu opened the door, and gave her on last smile before he left. "Sounds good."

As he left, the smile he gave her left Lucy with a little ore comfort. She then let out a sigh and leaned back on the bed.

Natsu quickly made it down the hallway, and after making several turns he finally arrive at his destination.

"Okay." Trying to gather courage, he knocked on the mysterious door.

Once it opened, his eyes widened, and the tall and slender GM for Tartaros, Keyes, moved out of the way to reveal the man behind the text, sitting on the couch inside their dimly lit hotel room. He also had the two coaches Kyoka and Seilah sitting on either side of him, but Natsu never bothered to look at them as the middle man finally spoke up.

"Natsu Dragneel…so _good_ to see you."

As Natsu looked inside, his blood began to boil, and his eyes and fists tensed up.

"Mard Geer…"

* * *

After a little while, Lucy noticed Natsu had been gone an awfully long time. "Huh, I wonder where he had to go? Was it his aunt? Her room is down a few floors…" She then began rolling around the bed impatiently, getting her nice blue dress she planned to wear out all wrinkled in the process.

"OKAY!" She sat up with ruffled hair. "I'm gonna go insane if I keep lying here…and now my dress looks ridiculous." She began to mope and then slid off the bed. "I can change it real quick. It kinda stinks because I was really looking forward to…" She looked around for the bag that contained her dressier cloths, but then looked down to find an unusual item sticking out of one of Natsu's bags.

It was a green and gold bottle of very expensive champagne. The site alone made Lucy's stomach fill with butterflies.

"Awe…did he want to split that bottle, tonight?" She walked over and pulled it out of the bag, and then removed the shopping bag that was still stuck to the bottom.

"Wow, he must have gotten it on his way back from the game…he's always trying to be the nice one in the relationship…man why couldn't I think of that?!" Now a little annoyed with herself, she then found an ice bucket sitting on top of her room's fridge.

"Well…if he's gonna be gone for a little while, I can go get some ice and let this thing chill."

After a short time, Lucy locked her room door and left to find the ice machine, firmly holding the bucket and ice bag in her hands.

"Ooo he could have been saving it for the next game, but the receipt said he just bought it tonight. It has to be for tonight, I mean what if they don't win the next…" Lucy stopped thinking like that before she got sad.

"Well…either way we can share a few drinks alone before we go out." She then let a new smile grace her face as she quickly located the ice machine.

Now sitting there smacking the machine, her bucket was only half way full. "Come on! I'll need more than a few pieces!" Letting her anger out, the smacks she delivered on the front of the machine almost distracted her from the noisy couple coming down the hall.

The girl in the pair spoke louder for Lucy to hear. "Oh let's just forget going out! I think we should stay in the room all night!"

 _"_ _Geeze…"_ Lucy rolled her eyes as she heard giggling and kissy noises. _"Can't you two just get in the room and spare the rest of us?"_ She then narrowed her listening.

"I agree…" That did not come from the same girl, but it did sound very feminine. Then Lucy heard the boy laugh and nearly dropped her bucket.

 _"_ _THREE PEOPLE!?"_ Lucy yelled inside her mind. _"Wow, that guy's gonna have a busy night…"_

After hearing the three people getting closer and closer, Lucy tried to bag as much ice as she could before stopping the machine and slipping out the refreshment alcove. However, as soon as she turned the corner, the three people closed in on her by accident, but as they did the boy said something.

"Okay ladies here we…" He looked up and saw Lucy trying to sneak out, but that didn't stop the man from halting his step. Lucy turned to look but lost all focus once she heard his voice, and then earned a good view of the entire group. The girls looked like any other young girls you'd find at a Crocus bar, and they certainly didn't appreciate Lucy gawking at their man.

However, it was the boy she was truly staring at. He was tall and slender, but looked to have an athletic build. He had one of the most attractive faces Lucy had ever seen. She also noticed his long, messy head of spiky orange hair, but the one thing that caught her attention most of all were two round eyes looking back at her though a thin pair of glasses.

Finally, Lucy dropped the bucket, and the two girls jumped in shock, to avoid getting ice or water on their shoes. The man ignored their distress and kept looking at the blond teenager, letting out a tiny laugh in response. "Of all the people to find on my trip…hey Lucy."

Lucy's muscles began tensing up, and a slight bit of discomfort made her cheeks turn a dark shade of red. Then she spoke up.

"…Loke."

* * *

 **HOLY SH*T NATSU _AND_ LUCY ARE BOTH IN TROUBLE! Well that is interesting...anyway I hope you all enjoyed! Comment and Review like always!**

 **(I officially graduate from college in a week...and Game of Thrones starts tomorrow...what a momentous time to be alive.)**


	48. 48 - Deal with the Devil

**Author's Note: Hello! Here's another long one for ya! Trying to tie up some loose ends heading into the next game. I want all the Fairy boys and girls on the same page, haha. Enjoy!**

 **(Also, WTF Funnimation!? I'm all for getting episode 276 dubbed yesterday, but why the hell did you fell the need to release it!? Waaayyy too early!)**

 **Also, I do not own _Fairy Tail._**

* * *

Chapter Forty Eight - Deal with the Devil

* * *

Lucy and Loke stood in the hallway for a brief moment of silence before the girls beneath Loke's arms started getting impatient.

"Ugh, Loke…do we have to stand out here?"

"Yea, and who's _this_ girl anyway…?"

Loke shook his head and laughed as he adjusted his glasses. He then removed both arms from around the ladies and reached into his inner jacket pocket to remove a card key, and used it to swipe open the door they were standing in front of.

"Why don't you two lovelies head inside and wait for me. We can discuss the evening plans here in a little bit."

Still sort of angry, both ladies swallowed what little pride they had and graciously followed his suggestion. Once they went inside the door shut, and Loke put both hands deeper into his pockets. He then observed the beautiful blonde before him.

"Wow, your hair is longer than before." He noticed Lucy had a long pony tail tied to one side instead of two smaller pig tails like usual. "You look really nice, by the way."

Lucy tensed up and crossed her arms. "Loke, I'm not sure I want to have a conversation with you…"

Loke shook his head and leaned up against the frame of the alcove that contained the ice machine and several vending machines. "Hey I get ya. I was kind of an ass to you back then." He started rubbing the back of his head before looking into her eyes. "But…I've never really forgiven myself from the way I treated you."

Lucy rolled her eyes and started rubbing both of her arms. "I'm being serious. I think you should just go back inside and enjoy your…night with those two girls."

Loke looked slightly embarrassed. "Ah don't let them fool ya. One of them will leave half way through the night. I'm kind of hoping it's the brunette. The other one seems like she's more fun…ya know I love blondes."

Lucy had enough and bent over to grab her ice bucket. "Just let me go Loke. I've got a nice evening planned, and I really don't want it ruined."

"Yea I heard about that!" He smiled. "The Magnolias are going to the finals! Must be nice knowing that new boyfriend of yours is leading them all the way."

Lucy looked back to Loke. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Loke took his glasses off and started cleaning them. He also shrugged. "I dunno, he seems like a nice guy…he's not half bad at basketball either."

Lucy put her foot down. "Look, you can try talking all pretty with me, but don't even begin to talk about Natsu while I'm here."

Loke put his glasses back on and realized she was pretty serious. "Wow, you're getting really defensive." He raised his hands in a mocking manor. "That's cool. I just wanted to say good luck to the Fairies before I…"

"What the hell's goin on here?"

Loke paused, and Lucy's eyes widened as Natsu was standing in the same hallway that Loke came from not too long ago. His eyes looked like they were going to catch fire, and his fists were clenched.

Lucy sighed and walked over to grab one of his tensed up hands. She then turned to Loke. "Loke, this is Natsu. Natsu this is…"

Natsu stopped her there. "Oh I know who it is…I'm wondering why he's still here."

"Hey nice ta meet ya!" Loke smiled and held out a hand. He wanted a hand shake but Lucy swatted away his open hand.

"Are you an idiot?" She said with a loud voice, knowing Natsu wasn't in the mood for a friendly hand shake. She then turned to Natsu. "Hey, it's okay. We were just finishing up."

Natsu never lowered his guard as he looked Loke in the eyes. He then stopped for a moment and held in more anger.

"Ya know it's really funny, I just won the Eastern Conference Finals with a great group of friends, but this night has been nothing but lousy for me…" He then stopped and looked right to his girlfriend. "Lucy, I'll let you finish your conversation. I shouldn't have barged in like that…but I'll wait right here while you…"

"Hold on." Loke kept his hands in the air. "Relax, I can read a room pretty well, ya know. I'll just head on in." He then turned to grab the door but stopped with one more thought.

"Hey Natsu…you just came from interviewing with Tartaros didn't you…?"

Lucy's eyes filled with shock as she looked to an even angrier Natsu.

Loke laughed. "Right, I thought as much…well they interviewed me earlier. I gotta say…that's a pretty nasty program they're setting up there…don't take whatever they offered you."

Natsu never said a word, and left the three in an awkward moment. Finally Loke took a breath.

"Kay…I'm going in now…have a good night, Lucy." Then he nodded and entered his room, shutting the door on his way inside.

Once he left Lucy released all the air in her lungs. She then slammed a fist into Natsu's arm. "You jerk! Don't scare me like that!"

Natsu acted like she never hit him. "Right, sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Eh…" Lucy looked apologetic as she realized something was still bothering Natsu. "Anyway, let's just get back to the room…"

As they walked down the long and lonely hallway Lucy held up her ice bucket. "Went to get ice for your champagne. You could have just told me when you bought it."

Natsu tried cracking a smile. "Oh, you found that? Heh, yea I noticed Jellal and Gajeel were having a few nights off from the group. So I wanted to make this one a night just for us."

Lucy paused. "R-Really? But what about going to the Honey Bone with everyone else?"

Natsu smiled again. "Either's fine with me, Lucy. You pick the place."

Lucy shook her head and pulled tightly on his arm. "You're the one who won a game tonight, dummy. It makes no sense if I pick the place…"

Then, as both of them remained silent in the walk back, Lucy swallowed a lump in her throat. "Natsu…what did Tartaros want?"

"…" Natsu paused for a moment before the memory returned to his mind.

* * *

 _~Several moments ago._

 _"_ _Natsu Dragneel…so good to see you."_

 _Mard Geer sat on a couch with Kyoka and Seilah sitting on either side of him. Keyes, the Tartaros GM held the hotel room door open for Natsu, but it took a while to receive a response._

 _As Natsu looked inside the dimly lit room, his blood began to boil, and his eyes and fists tensed up._

 _"_ _Mard Geer…"_

 _Mard clapped his hands together and smiled. "Oh I'm sorry! Ccongrats on your superb victory over the Phantoms earlier this evening. I must say you Fairies always know how to keep things…entertaining."_

 _They both eyed each other for a moment before Mard gestured to a chair on the other side of the coffee table._

 _"_ _Please, take a seat."_

 _*Well…* Nastu thought inside his mind. *I might be able to give him a good punch if I wait around long enough…* Returning to the moment, Natsu slowly walked in and took his seat._

 _Keyes shut the door behind him, and Mard Geer took a cigarette from a box handed to him by Kyoka. He then received a light from Seilah and gestured both to Natsu._

 _"_ _Would you like one? The cigarettes that is…"_

 _Natsu never let his eyes leave Mard's. "Cut the crap. What do you want?"_

 _Mard took a drag from his cigarette and raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you're rather quick to the point, Natsu. It seems that attitude of yours never leaves the court. Why do I want you here? It is an interesting arrangement. We've both only ever met once before, and I've never seen you play in person prior to the play offs…"_

 _"_ _Yea…" Natsu agreed. He slowly realized out of all the teams in the FBA, Tartaros was the only one the Fairies haven't played yet._

 _Mard used the silence to continue. "Well the moment you calm down I'll be ready to explain…" Using that as a joke, he decided to carry on. "I have a little proposition for you. If you've heard, Tartaros is scouting for talent next year, and we've been fielding offers from many different players."_

 _Natsu didn't look impressed. "What are you guys finished with this season already?"_

 _Kyoka and Seilah both laughed into their hands, but Mard only held a smile. "Well no offense, but that miserable team you have in Magnolia won't even score 30 points this weekend. I just wanted to get this interview out of the way before things get awkward. I'm sure they'll want you to stick around, but the sinking ship in Magnolia won't be worth a penny once…"_

 _*SLAM*_

 _Kyoka and Seilah both retreated backwards in their seats as Natsu slammed a fist on the coffee table made entirely off glass. He shattered the top into millions of pieces, prompting Mard to laugh even harder._

 _"_ _I'm sorry…did I offend you?"_

 _Natsu's eyes were about to bulge out of his head as he tried speaking through his grinding teeth. "Let me get this straight…you want me to leave Magnolia and sign with you monsters?"_

 _Mard never said a word and kicked tiny specks off glass off his expensive shoes. Then he snapped his fingers and had Keyes open up a very large suitcase full of neatly stacked bills of Jewell._

 _"_ _That's a billion as your down payment. We'll have more once you sign a contract. The Magnolias are set to sign a new owner, so who knows what will happen. They say Warrod Sequen remains interested, but how many more years does he have…? You all won't win the championship, and once Warrod passes, no one in their right mind will keep that organization in Magnolia."_

 _Natsu started shaking as Mard carried on. "Think of Tartaros as your best way out. You throw the game against us, and after a year with a failing team under Warrod you sign with us, the greatest team in the league with six straight titles and counting. Not to mention a full contract and bonus for taking the Fairies to two back to back runner up positions."_

 _Natsu raised an eyebrow. "If the Fairies stink so much, then how do you think I'll take them to another title?"_

 _Mard grabbed the bridge of his nose. "Natsu…you have no idea how this league works, do you? Though I shouldn't expect much seeing that you come from that dense bubble in Magnolia."_ _Then as Kyoka held out an ash tray, he then put out his cigarette and leaned forward._

 _"_ _I own this league. Sure every team has an owner, but I have my hand in every little thing the FBA does. The only one who's evaded my grasp is Jude Heartfilia, and that coward is getting out while he still can…"_

 _He then pointed to the suit case. "Surely I would expect the man dating Jude's daughter to think the same way…respecting power where it lies in dominant concentration."_

 _Natsu gasped the moment he made that comment._

 _Mard started laughing. "Now that I have your attention...it appears Jude intends on bringing his daughter along with him to Veronica, and as a busy FBA player I doubt you'll have time to visit her…so sign with us, and we'll guarantee you time to take out of your season. Visit her all you like! You don't even have to play for us if you don't want, we'll still deliver the money."_

 _Natsu had no idea what to say. He was nearly about to black out in rage before Mard Geer threw out one more phrase._

 _"_ _Unless…you don't truly care about being with her."_

 _"_ _AGH!" Natsu stood up and kicked the metal frame of the broken coffee table forward. Seilah and Kyoka raised their feet to avoid getting them smashed, but Mard Geer left his right on the floor as the table barely missed hitting him._

 _Keyes walked over and grabbed Natsu by the arm, but the angry Point Guard shook him away. He then walked forward and got right in Mard Geer's face._

 _"_ _Keep your damn money, you bastard. After all you're gonna need it once I kick your ass in the finals."_

 _He then turned away from his grinning host to leave for the door._

 _Mard Geer waved a hand and snapped at Kyoka to get him a drink. "Think about it Natsu…I'll always be waiting."_

* * *

 _~Back to the present_

Lucy's jaw would have hit the floor if her hands weren't firmly over her mouth. The ice bucket wasn't as lucky as she dropped that several moments into the story.

"They wanted you…to leave Magnolia?"

"Yea…" He said with anger. "They talked smack about Magnolia. They said we can't beat Tartaros…and they said some real nasty shit about your dad."

Lucy's eyes softened. She then reached over and slowly grabbed Natsu closest arm. "Well…my dad would appreciate you sticking up for him. Truth be told I haven't really spoken to him after our fight. I texted him once our plane went up and came down in Crocus, but other than that…"

Natsu stopped her. "Lucy, just relax. I'm gonna win that game, and you and your dad will be fine."

Lucy wanted to believe that, but she didn't. "That's great Natsu, but this really isn't your problem to fix…it's mine."

* * *

 _~Meanwhile, in a much more extravagant room on the top floor._

* * *

"Hmm…"Jude took a taste of his recently made coffee before cringing. "Virgo my dear, I hate to bother you, but it seems my coffee isn't quite ready."

Virgo came out of one of the many bedrooms the large hotel room offered and bowed. "Yes sir, maybe you should allow _me_ to make it this time."

Jude laughed. "Well don't think of me as a child now, Virgo. I just wanted to try and make it myself…I guess I should have just left you to do it."

Virgo paused for a moment before smiling at her adorable employer. "If you say so, sir." She then bowed and left for the kitchen.

Jude sighed and continued reading the paper in his hands. "Those Fairies sure are exciting. I wonder if they can actually win this game."

Virgo was too busy in the kitchen, and the quiet Caprico was silently typing on a laptop on the other side of the living room area.

Jude laughed at Caprico's focus, but still carried on. "Ms. Levy was about to jump out of her seat the other night. It's nice to know my employees love the organization so much…" He then looked down to his cooling cup of bad coffee and frowned.

"Mff…I wonder if Lucy was just as excited once they won the game." A long pause took the room, but Caprico spoke first and smiled while doing so.

"Don't worry, Master Jude. I'm sure she was absolutely thrilled."

Jude looked to his normally mute butler and cracked a smile while nodding. Then his phone began to ring.

"Hmmm…?" He pondered as he looked to see who it was, and then rolled his eyes and grabbed his nose once he opened the phone.

"Mard…I should have expected you to call sooner or later."

The recently excited Mard Geer laughed on the other line. "Yes, I apologize for not doing this sooner, but I was caught up with a fascinating conversation not too long ago…I believe congratulations are in order. Those Fairies you put together might make it all the way this weekend."

"Is that so?" Jude said with sarcasm.

"Hah…no." Mard decided to be blunt. "But give them a few years of hard earned experience and I'd say they'll be just fine…now that I have you, I must show my anger that you were able to grab the hotel's master suit before I was. You know…that Dragneel boy made his way to my room earlier in the night."

Jude took the phone away from his ear. He then brought it back. "Natsu Dragneel? Don't be absurd, he's the last person who you need to be speaking with."

"Oh? Well I can't imagine why…" Mard laughed as he kicked around several pieces of glass on his floor. "Any who, I thought I might warn you he appears to be interested in switching teams. At least that's the impression I gathered from his visit."

"What nonsense are you on about…?" Jude tried to argue, but Mard continued.

"Oh I'd hate to confuse you, but yes Natsu came in with a few questions of the organization. He seemed so rather upset with your eventual departure from Magnolia he might be trying to join a new team. You know how rookie players work."

Jude sighed as Mard carried on. "And I must say out of all the players we've interviewed tonight, Natsu was the most impressive. The boy before him wasn't so magical…" He was of course referring to Loke. "But that's neither here nor there."

Jude didn't want to believe anything out of Mard's mouth, but he waited for a good moment to break the conversation. He was too entertained to quit just yet.

"I can't honestly blame him, it's quite rude of you to jump ship during such a historic season for Magnolia." Mard said with sarcasm. "Though it must be hard on your daughter, Lucy. I know she's been such a fan of those Fairies…If I'm not mistaken Natsu isn't the first basketball boy she's been with is he?"

Jude stopped him there. "Mard, I'm not going to sit here and have you talk of my daughter in such a way. As for Natsu…I know fully well he would never be interested in that despicable team you've arraigned in Tartaros…I know firsthand how passionate he is to win a championship for the Fairies, but more importantly I know how much the team means to him, and Lucy for that matter."

Mard laughed. "Hmm, well if that's the case I imagine the news of you selling the team wasn't easy for her. If I'd have to guess I'd imagine she hasn't talked with you in…"

Jude hung up the phone. Sitting in silence, he began to grasp his smart phone as if it were about to break.

Finally, he sighed. "Virgo, stop the coffee. I'm heading to bed."

* * *

As the next day rolled around, most of the familiar faces in the hotel tried to earn a good night's rest. The Magnolia Fairies and the Tartaros Devils had a full day meeting with one another in separate locations, so it left all the fans and relevant party members free to do as the liked.

Here, we find Lucy walking about the bottom floor as she locates the hotel's fitness center.

"Well, if Natsu's going to be out with the team all day, I might as well get a nice work out in." She scavenged the lower floor to try and find the hotel gym, and once she located it her day quickly changed.

"Okay Lucy! This will be your distraction from all the…" As she opened the door, Lucy was greeted by the last sight she wanted to see.

"…drama." Lucy froze with fear as two familiar family faces were already using the workout equipment, and they just happened to be the trainers he father hired for her.

The first one she saw was her male instructor, who always came with a cheery, fiery attitude to all her workout sessions. She couldn't remember his real name, but she was always told to just call him Scorpio. The second was the blue haired woman yelling at him to keep up his work at the lifting station. This woman was known for her evil mean streak, and she was always referred to as Aquarius.

Lucy's eyes began to twitch as she tried to turn around and re-shape her daily plans. However…

"Tch. Well, if it isn't the blonde bimbo…" Aquarius caught a peek at their new guest and stopped Lucy right in her tracks.

Scorpio at up with a satisfied smile on his face. "Lucy! Hey, it's pretty wicked to see you here!"

Lucy slowly turned around and sighed. "Yea…I could say the same for you too…"

Aquarius rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. Our boss owns an FBA team, and we're his family trainers…you honestly didn't think he'd give us free tickets to a basketball game?"

Lucy tried biting her tongue. "Well, I was sort of counting on that…"

Aquarius walked up and gave Lucy a dirty look. "I'm sorry, from the sound of things, it almost seems like you aren't happy to see us?"

Lucy tensed up and tried to defend her words. "No! I mean…I'm always thrilled to work out with you guys…hehe."

"Good…" Aquarius started to grin. "Cause now that you're here, I have a whole new workout planned."

After several hours of rigorous training, Lucy fell off the back of a treadmill with sore legs and a beating chest.

"I can't…I can't…I can't take this anymore…" Lucy could barely breathe as she laid on the floor like a ball of jelly.

Aquarius rolled her eyes. "Scorpio, be a good boyfriend and get Miss Cry Baby some water."

Her red and white haired training partner laughed. "Whoa, you got it Aquarius! So wicked…" He laughed on his way out the door and went to get some water from the front desk.

As Lucy slowly sat up, Aquarius rolled her eyes. "Ya know, for being the girlfriend of an FBA player you sure are out of shape."

Lucy tried to collect her breath. "Yea…I guess…you're right."

Aquarius started laughing at Lucy's distress. "I mean, you look so pathetic right now! I'm sure he'd get a kick out of seeing you like this!"

Lucy got really embarrassed, but tried to suck it up. "You're right…but that's okay."

As Lucy toughened through her cool down, Aquarius rolled her eyes. "You suck, you know that? Jude's been freaking out about you all week long."

Lucy stopped her constant breathing to make a comment before she started up again. "R-Really? When did you...?"

"DUH!?" Aquarius wanted to smack her little blond head. "He had to give us the tickets! He's been really weird. Caprico and Virgo told us he's really upset, even though those Fairy boys are in the championship."

Lucy sighed and leaned back to rest her back on the floor. "Yea…that's probably my fault."

Aquarius started getting more obvious. "Probably? Lucy, you're dad's freaking out! Just give him a little affection, ya know? I don't know what the hell you two went through, but just knock it off."

Lucy took a moment before the words registered. She had just finished a similar conversation with Natsu the night before and it was starting to dawn on her that she really needed to see her father.

"I guess you're right…maybe at the game, I can sit with him instead of my friends…and maybe I'll do all that after I get some water."

Aquarius rolled her eyes and threw Lucy a tiny towel. "Here, wipe the sweat off your face. You look like a middle aged man."

Lucy laughed as she accepted the gesture, but even then she started thinking to herself. _"Yea, I can sit with dad for the game, but I want to at least see all my friends before the game tomorrow…"_ She then stated thinking of a spontaneous night for all her friends who were also missing out on the boys.

 _"_ _Plus I owe them for not going to the party last night. Natsu and I were just too tired to go out…"_ She started feeling guilty, until she looked down at her tattooed hand.

"I GOT IT! I know exactly what to do with everyone!"

* * *

As the day turned to evening, the women who were all waiting for the basketball boys to finish up their day-long meeting were trying to find some way to enjoy their evening. However, before they were reunited with their good companions, Lucy had the bright idea for some extensive team building between the Fairies' greatest group of fans.

"OKAY!" Lucy cheered as the group of girls walked down the busy streets of Crocus. "Just a few more blocks!"

All the girls remained curious, but Evergreen was the first to speak up. "Would you just tell us what the plan is Lucy? This is starting to get ridiculous!"

Mira didn't want to be rude, but she was also getting rather curious. "I hate to say this, but I'm getting a little worried too, Lucy. Is this going to be fun?"

"Yep!" Lucy nodded with confidence and kept walking. "Just leave it to me, and follow along!"

Erza walked behind them with her hand to her chin. "This is all very intriguing…I must say I am overly excited to see what you have instore for us!"

Levy walked beside her but started scratching her head. "Uh-huh…um Erza shouldn't you be with the team?"

Erza started laughing. "Oh Levy, so naïve…I don't need to be with them if I don't want to!"

Lev sighed. "Right…that is why we hired you as a coach after all…"

As they all started laughing, Lucy finally stopped the train in front of a very dark but noticeable building.

"Okay, here we are!" She smiled as she pointed to the florescent sign, which clearly read **"Golden Rose Tattoo Parlor"** in bright green letters.

All the girls froze with anticipation as Levy spoke first. "Um…we're supposed to do _what_ exactly?"

Lucy smiled and showed off her hand. "Well duh! You're all gonna get Fairy tattoos to support the team!"

"Hold on!" Evergreen yelled out. "I never agreed to this!"

Lisanna started tensing up. "Yea I agree. I mean I've always wanted a tattoo…" She then thought of her boyfriend Bickslow. "…but do we have to get the same one our boyfriend have? Cause if that's the case…" She began to cringe at Bickslow's blackened tongue tattoo and desperately wanted to avoid getting one herself.

Cana started laughing. "HAH! Sucks for you guys, I can get mine wherever I want! Being single has its perks sometimes!"

Juvia sighed. "Oh I somehow agree to all of this…mainly because I know my hunky Gray will love me even more after I have some ink done to this fair skin of mine!" She rapidly nodded her head and went to run in, but Erza held her from going in too soon.

Erza still looked intrigued. "Hm…should I just get the simple Fairy logo, or should I try for that tribal tattoo Jellal has over his eye?"

Laki, the youngest cheerleader sighed while face-palming. "Um…I'd just go with the Fairy emblem."

Levy paused for a moment. "Lucy…does it hurt?"

Lucy went to answer, but Mira started giggling. "Nah, it only hurts the first few minutes, then it's totally fine!"

Everyone froze until Lisanna spoke first. "M-Mira…do you already have a tattoo?"

Mira started to giggle. "Oh of course! But I never considered getting one of the Fairy emblem! This sounds super exciting!"

Lucy smiled, but shook her head in confusion as Cana grabbed her hand and looked to everyone else. "Well, I think Lucy's on to something, here! Let's all get ourselves some new tattoos!"

As all the girls reluctantly cheered, the entire party ran inside with anticipation for new body ink, yet as they stormed inside, Levy held back and looked at Lucy.

"You sure about this? I mean, you may be able to handle it, but some of these girls aren't going to appreciate it the next day around...plus you were drunk when you got yours."

Lucy shrugged and smiled. "Hey, they all ran in didn't they? It's the least they could do for the boys' big game tomorrow night!"

Then, Levy laughed, and followed Lucy in to earn her very own tattoo, matching the same emblem of the proud organization she and all her friends worked for.

* * *

 **So Lucy isn't going to be the only girl with a Fairy Tattoo! How fun!**

 **Also, Mard Geer seemed pretty cocky talking to Natsu, but why did he call Jude? ...is he getting nervous about the final game?**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you're ready, because we're jumping into the final match next time! Fairies vs Demons, who will win!? Comment and review like always! Now I have to begin moving out of my apartment, today. But that's okay because I have some good TV coming on tonight...**

 **...Winter is Coming**


	49. 49 - The FBA Finals

**Author's Note: Hello! Here it is, the game between the Fairies and Devils has finally arrived! I hope everyone's excited!**

 **Before we get started there's one thing I need to clear up. I've done this the whole story, but I've never clarified if anyone understands it. Do you guys know what I mean when I refer to those private booth/balcony seats inside stadiums? I imagine most of you do, but for those who don't watch a lot of sports do my descriptions make sense? I've used them in like all the game scenes with Lucy, Levy, and Jude, but I have no idea if everyone knows what I'm talking about haha. If not you can just google "NBA private booths" or "NBA club seats" or something and you'll get a good picture. They're not just in the NBA but for the purpose of this story that's your best model to follow.**

 **Anyway lets get started here!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

 **(PS: Game of Thrones was awesome, and so was the new Fairy Tail manga chapter! However...both of them ended with very bizarre scenes involving red-haired women...very weird haha.)**

* * *

Chapter Forty Nine - The FBA Finals

* * *

"Welcome back to the Fiore Sports Network here in the magnificent city of Crocus! We bring you here live from the Domus Flau in the capital's heart to deliver what might be the most anticipated basketball game in the history of this hallowed league!"

Chapati Lola proudly announces into his network camera where he sits with his co-anchor Mr. Yajima as the FBA Final game sets up to begin.

"For the past four seasons one team has dominated this league entirely, and on their way to creating a dynasty they've earned four back to back FBA titles. On the other end of the court, the oldest and proudest organization in all of Fiore dreams to make up for decades of embarrassment, and looks to show their historic basketball ancestors their team still has a fighting chance. Two teams, the Magnolia Fairies vs the Tartaros Devils…who will win?"

As Chapati tried drawing out all the intensity he could, Yajima rolled his eyes and laughed. "Ah, your far too dramatic, Chapi. We all know who's going to win!"

The head anchor looked to his sarcastic counterpart and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, well please share your thoughts with our TV audience, Mr. Yajima."

Yajima howled. "I never said I'd do that…but what the heck, Go Maki, and Go Magnolia! 76-74."

"Oh, you've got a close one for the underdogs? Well hopefully it ends as exciting as you've predicted it!"

As the Fiore TV crews look to announce the start of the game, several fans begin siting down and filing the stands with shirts either colored bright with scarlet red, or dark with shades of black.

However, some fans have been waiting patiently since the doors opened 2 hours prior…

"OKAY MAGNOLIA, WIN ONE FOR THE REST OF US!" Sting Eucliffe stood up and cheered to a full stadium but empty court as Yukino dragged him back down to his chair.

"Sting calm down! If your coach were to hear you yelling like that for another team…!"

"Coach Giemma isn't here tonight…" Rogue said with a passive expression to their right. "And neither is Minerva. They both left for Saber City yesterday."

Sting started howling and looked at Yukino. "See? And, who cares! It's important to support the rest of the league! Ain't that right, Lyon!?" He looked down to Lyon and Meldy who were sitting to Yukino's left.

However, although the question was directed to Lyon, Meldy answered first. "Yep!" Meldy said with a bubbly expression. "After all Yukino and I _are_ from Magnolia, so it would make sense for us to root for them too!"

Lyon laughed. "Well you can root for whoever you like this year, but next year the Lamias are taking the title."

Meldy rolled her eyes. "Next year is next year, and this year is this year! We have to support Magnolia...at least, we have to support Gray."

That made Lyon crack a smile. "I suppose you're right…actually I hear he has quite the fan base coming from the Magnolia organization, and even some old friends from his college days…"

As Lyon looked around, he noticed a large group of semi-familiar faces all conglomerated in the central, mid-row section of a center line seating area.

"This is so cool!" Romeo yelled from his fairly good seats inside the Domus Flau coliseum. To his right was the young Wendy Marvel, and all around him were several other familiar faces, including Sherry and Sherria from his school one row in front of them, and members form the Acalypha Pegasus team joining them.

As Romeo looked excited to be there, Wendy was just happy to see him smiling. "Awe, well I'm glad you could come! I went to ask my Aunt Porlyusca to get use tickets, but she already bought them without me having to say a thing!"

"U-uh…" Romeo paused. "B-But I just met your aunt this week. Did she…did she know you and I were friends?"

Wendy smiled and grabbed Romeo's hand. "Well duh, I told her! She was actually pretty happy to meet you too! I probably should have told you that earlier."

Romeo smiled after that and nodded. "Oh…well hey I was happy to meet her too!"

"Good! We can tell her when she gets back, though I'm not sure where she went?" Wendy looked to the seat on the other side of her to find it still empty.

"Huh, I guess she's still getting food…?" As Wendy thought about it, the person on the other side of the empty seat reached over and handed Wendy some cash.

It was the Acalypha college coach, Gildarts Clive. "Hey actually…you mind texting that aunt of yours to get me some popcorn or something?" He smiled with a guilty face and tried getting Wendy to say yes.

Wendy looked embarrassed. "Um, I'm sorry but my aunt doesn't have a cell phone."

"AGH!" Gildarts dropped the money and went to fall out of his chair, but he really didn't have any space to move. After that, the boy sitting on Gildarts other side laughed and slapped him on the knee.

"Hey, relax Geezer. I'll go get you something right now!" That was the former Acalypha all-star Haru Glory, who found himself visiting some old friends for a weekend of basketball.

His now married wife, Ellie latched on to his shirt as he stood up. "Ooooo get me some candy too! And pop…and maybe popcorn? …I just hate the idea of having to make you get up again."

Haru shook his head and laughed at her random list of junk food. "Yea? Well I hate the idea of you getting sick to your stomach…If you want anything later I'll be happy to get it."

Ellie and Gildarts smiled as the latter laughed. "See? That's why you were my star player Haru. Hehe…"

As their little comedy episode came to an end Wendy looked to Coach Gildarts. "Hey Mr. Clive, weren't Gray's parents supposed to come down to Crocus with you?"

Gildarts smiled and gestured to a much lower set of seats. "Nah, they found some other tickets without me…"

Sitting in those seats down on the lower levels of the stadium were the two Fullbuster parents, Mika and Silver. With them was the same person who had sat in these seats for the past two playoff games, Juvia Lockster.

"W-well…" Juvia said with nervous tension in her voice. "I'm so glad you both could sit with me, tonight! I-I guess I lucked out when my cousin and friend found other seating arraignments…so here we are!"

Mika smiled and put her hand on Juvia's "Oh and were glad to finally meet you, Juvia! It is quite a relief that your friends gave up their tickets down here with you, Silver and I were really looking forward to finally getting to meet you!"

"Yea…" Silver said with a sarcastic grin. "Gray never told me how pretty his little girlfriend was. He usually tries to flaunt that stuff in my face."

Juvia looked worried while Mika looked rather angry at that comment. To try and lighten the mood Juvia brought up a new topic. "So Silver, were you a basketball player when you were younger?"

Silver shrugged. "Hey, I'm only in my early thirties ya know?"

Juvia looked both horrified and confused before Silver started laughing and Mika hit him on his arm for that obvious lie.

Silver let out a laugh. "Oh this is going to be fun...no I'm not that young. And actually I have a funny story. I used to play professionally as well, and the team I played for just so happened to be Tartaros."

"R-Really?" Juvia didn't want to be rude, but that truth actually kind of leave her upset.

Silver waved his hand. "But that was a long time ago. Tartaros wasn't even a team in Fiore yet. They were still a club in _Alegria_. They moved here a while after I retired, not to mention the whole league was way worse back when I played. There's no way I'd be able to play with today's athletes."

He then turned to give Juvia a confident smile. "Gray though? Well, let's just say he turned into a better player than his old man."

Juvia smiled, and just then the stadium lights dimmed down and revealed the two trails of basketball players coming out of the locker rooms.

Both the Fairies and the Devils looked ready to play. The Fairies wore red warm ups over their white away jerseys, while Tartaros wore black warm ups over their standard all black and white home jerseys.

Yet, as both teams poured onto the field, and as all the fans began cheering and hollering, one prominent fan was running late to her new seats.

"MAN…!" Lucy yelled as she looked at her watch while running down the hallway. "I can't believe they didn't have my press pass! I registered my name, and I even had one for the last few games and never even used them!"

Lucy had normally done a pretty decent job acquiring an organizational press pass for court side entry each game. As a member of the Magnolia Fairies Team she could only gain court entry once the game ended, but per league policy she had to have a certified league wide pass to enter the press courtside area during any time in the regular minutes of play.

Sadly, she didn't have one tonight.

"Ugh…well I can try and get some pictures from the balcony I guess…" As she ran through the crowds of late arriving fans, she finally found the back door to the luxury booth labeled. **"MAGNOLIA-JUDE HEARTFILIA"**

Yet, once she opened the door, she was immediately stunned to find the lights off, and no one was seated inside either the glass refreshment room, or the lower balcony seats either.

"Huh…?" Lucy looked worried until a stadium official walked in from behind her.

"Excuse me Miss, but this room is off limits too…" He went to kick her out, but as she turned around he noticed the standard "Magnolia Fairies pass" she had around her neck.

"Oh you're looking for Jude! He and the other Fairy members have actually been invited to a private box for the evening!"

"Private box…?" Lucy looked confused, but followed her new stadium guide either way. After walking a few doors down, Lucy came into what was clearly the nicest stadium suite box she had ever seen in her life. In fact, Lucy grew up in a "privileged" environment like this, but the thought of never seeing a room as nice as this made her both humble and confused at the same time.

Then, a familiar Levy turned around from a big crowd of people at the refreshments table and ran right for Lucy.

"HEY YOU MADE IT!" Levy wrapped her hands around Lucy, and Lucy went to return the favor, but tried avoiding a tender section of Levy's back located right on her right shoulder blade.

"Oh sorry! I bet your tattoo is still hurting!" Lucy thought she hit Levy's new ink, but Levy laughed.

"Nah, it's doing alright. It looks really cool!" She then started laughing as they looked around. "Lucy…you'll never guess whose room this is!"

"Oh…now I have a feeling I know."

As Lucy went to answer, she looked out the glass window to find a short man sitting with her billionaire father in the balcony seats. It was none other than the leader of the country, President Toma E. Fiore. With him was also his lovely daughter with bright jade colored hair, Hisui, and to the other end was the very commissioner of the FBA, Arcadios.

Lucy started laughing. "Wow I bet Mard Geer is pissed he missed the party of the century."

Levy shook her head. "Nah, actually Tartaros declined the invitation."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Why did I not see that coming...? Anyway I don't see Mr. Warrod?" Lucy was very confused because Jude's usual home guest, Warrod Sequen was nowhere to be found."

Levy scratched her chin. "Hmm, that's weird because he came to the last game? I guess he's not feeling well, he is pretty old after all!"

Lucy accepted that, but even after looking at her father from inside the refreshment room, she still felt a chill run down her spine.

"W-well…I don't know about you but I'm just gonna try and watch the game from in here…" She then walked to the glass window and found a nice table and bar stools looking out to the court from a nice location behind the glass, and away from the group out in the lower balcony.

Levy started laughing, and graciously took a seat beside her best friend. "Okay Lucy…guess I'll join you."

As the two girls took their seats, the court residents were just getting ready for the game of their lives. The Fairies warmed up from their side of the court as Natsu Dragneel gathered all the confidence he had for the night ahead. "Okay gang what's say we win by 30 and send these posers home!?"

Everyone laughed, and Gray took a practice shot. "Normally I'd tell ya to shut up, Natsu. But tonight, I'm actually feeling it. Maybe we can beat these guys by that many."

"HA!" Gajeel finished swatting shots put up by his own teammates for practice. "No duh? We've got this one in the bag, whether Salamander thinks it or not!"

"I do believe the confidence will help…" Jellal admitted as he sent up a flawless back court shot. "…but we must not let them fool us. This is a very skilled team, with talent the likes of which none of you have ever seen."

"Psh!" Gajeel waved a hand. "I've played against them before! Sure, they kicked our ass back on Phantom, but we also beat them a few times!"

"That may be so…" Jellal warned them. "But none of us have ever played in a championship game like this before. It will be a whole new experience for everyone."

"YEA!" Elfman barged in and bear hugged Jellal from behind. "If we wanna win, we're gonna have to be the biggest men we can be!"

"HAHA!" Natsu laughed. "If Elfman thinks we got it, than I know we got it!"

As all the Fairies laughed, Makarov, Laxus, and Erza watched them from the bench.

"Mmf…" Makarov grunted as he watched his players warm up. He then looked up to a determined Laxus. "Are you finally feeling left out, my boy?"

Laxus shook his head. "Nah, but…this will be a hell of a game for these guys. I just wish I didn't have to sit on my ass while they fight for title."

"Don't worry." Erza said with confidence. "These boys are more ready than they'll ever be in their lives. I have faith they can pull this off."

Yet as the three elders looked to their team, they all three took a tiny moment to look over at the other end of the court.

Powerful, organized, flawless. These three words could be used to describe Tartaros perfectly. None of their pre-game shots missed its mark, and none of the players stepped out of routine. Even when they shot relaxed shots individually, they had some cloud of confidence and finesse that just made them look like truly terrifying opponents.

Then, Mest Gryder blew the whistle, and as he and Lahar gathered their wit, the teams centered up and prepared for the game.

Tartaros looked much bigger, so hopefully the Fairies came out playing faster. Elfman lined up with the ref, and on the other side a very daunting looking center stood with him. He had a spiky head of bluish-green hair, and a mouth of oddly pointed teeth. Finally, he looked like he was crazed as he waited for the ball.

"Okay let's get this show on the road!" Ezel the Tartaros center yelled into Mest's ear as he tried to speed up the process. "I'm tryin ta win this game tonight, ya know?"

Mest looked used to this by now, and remained quiet. However, Elfman stood tall and angry. "Hey pal. Real men always know when to be patient, and they surely know when to shut their mouths."

Ezel cocked and eyebrow and looked twice as insane once Elfman spoke up. "Oooooo…I can't wait to slice you Fairies up into tiny little pieces tonight…"

As Elfman and Ezel narrowed their visions, Mest blew his whistle and threw the ball in the air. To everyone's surprise, Elfman gathered the ball on his decent, and as he passed it off to Natsu, the players all shifted to one side of the court.

"Hehe…so here's the little punk who tried takin my spot, eh?" Jackal, the notorious Tartaros point guard looked like he was ready to kill a man as Natsu brought the ball down.

Natsu growled with anger. "Look pal, that ass Mard Geer brought me in. I have no desire for some crap job at his organization, and I sure as hell won't let you all win tonight."

Jackal kept his defense quick and chuckled. "Keep lyin to yourself, Fairy…you kids are bout to have one long night."

"OH YEA!?" Natsu howled and blew right passed a stunned Jackal, and as he did the other Tartaros players weren't expecting a quick attack either, and let Natsu score the first 2 points of the game.

"AND THE FAIRIES TAKE THE FIRST POINTS!" Chapati yelled into his mic as the crowd went wild. Then, as the Fairy fans celebrated their mini accomplishment, the actual players acted like nothing happened.

"Huh?" Makarov looked puzzled as Natsu and the others never went to cheer. "They didn't cheer after Natsu's basket?"

Erza, Laxus, and the other bench players looked weirded out to as Natsu and the others all looked completely serious in the moment. Then as Jackal tried to drive the ball, things got ugly.

"Alright, lucky shot I guess I bet you losers couldn't try that again with your…" He went to continue, but right then Natsu and Gray both swarmed him, and delivered a back pass to Gajeel, who stopped his way down the court for a forceful dribble.

"DAMN YOU JACKEL!" The team captain an elder power forward Torafuzer yelled while chasing Gajeel, but as he did his counterpart had nothing but laughs.

"AHAHAHA! You Devils are such crybabies!" Gajeel laughed some more and quickly delivered the ball to Elfman, who jumped over Ezel's defense and slammed down a basket.

"AND THE FAIRES TAKE THE LEAD UP TO 4!"

"YAY!" Mirajane and Lisanna both cheered with the other cheerleaders as their brother scored the dunk, and as they did Cana nudged Evergreen in the side to provoke a tiny bit of embarrassment.

Meanwhile Jackal looked overly frustrated as he inbounded the ball from his eccentric Small Forward, the very round but quick Franmalth.

"Ohh Jackal, how much is this game even worth to you? You barely seem to be playing at all!"

"EGH…" Jackal looked like he was about to rip off someone's head. "Just get down the damned field, Franmalth." He then let the tiny little man follow the order as he slowly dribbled the ball down the court.

Jackal tried crossing the ball over a few times, and even delivered a few passes before he stopped and looked at a smiling Natsu.

"Ya know?" The grinning pink haired Fairy said. "Now I know why Mard Geer was bringing in Point Guards…you just plain suck!"

"AGH!" Jackal snapped and tried dribbling it forward, but as he did Natsu tipped the ball, twirled around a falling Jackal, and passed it off to a quick footed Jellal, who sent up a far but easy 3-pointer.

"AND THE FAIRIES ARE NOW UP BY 7! Oh man is this the start of a big lead? Or will Tartaros stop the bleeding?!"

"TIMEOUT!" Kyoka, the head coach for Tartaous eyed to the refs as both of them blew their whistles, and just then the teams came off the court.

"Okay..." She looked like she was about to break her clip board. "…Jackal, the plan was to let them score first, then turn it around…not let them score seven!?"

Jackal waved a hand. "Relax, this will look better…I'm just letting loose some anger first, ya know before it hurts me later!"

Torafuzer rolled his eyes. "You'll jeopardize the play with that nonsense. Stick to the script, or find the bench."

Jackal stopped arguing with Kyoka and got right up to Torafuzer's face. "Whose side are you on, anyway? I'll play however I damned well please, and then you'll see us take the lead by 30."

Torafuzer rolled his eyes, took a drink and walked back out on the court with a quiet Shooting Guard Tempester by his side. As Jackal and Ezel did the same, Franmalth walked over to Kyoka and Seilah.

"Oh Miss Kyoka, he'll relax by the next quarter…that being said he is on to something…why don't we just let the Fairies go up by a few points?"

Kyoka paused and looked around to find her team's private booth. There she saw a passive Mard Geer and Keyes looking down at them without a single ounce of fear in their eyes.

Finally, she smiled. "Fine…let them take the first quarter, but after that…we'll turn on the machine."

* * *

 **Okay the Fairies have a nice lead, but can they keep it? New chapter soon, comment and review like always!**


	50. 50 - Fairies and Demons

**Author's Note: Wow...when I wrote this story I had no idea how long I wanted to make it. My notes only filled up spaces for 16-ish chapters, but _daaayum daniel_...we made it to 50, guys.**

 **As Jason from _Sorcerer Weekly_ would say...THIS IS SOOO COOOL!**

 **Will this be the last chapter? Will the Fairies win? Will Laxus get to ask his big question? WILL SOMEONE FINALLY GIVE MARD GEER THE SLAP HE DESERVES?!**

 **...I dunno, please enjoy!**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty - Fairies and Demons

* * *

"Well we're back from the first quarter of play, and in all my years of broadcasting I don't believe I ever expected to see something like this! The underdog Magnolia Fairies are currently winning 21-5 at the end of the first quarter!"

It was true. Most people either expected a landslide victory for Tartaros, or an even game all the way, but no one in their right mind ever expected the Magnolia Fairies to be leading by 17 in the first quarter.

However, one person was luckily too stupid to think like that.

"LET'S KEEP GOING!" Natsu plowed through the seemingly weak Tartaros defense as he drove for a basket, and barely missed, but as he did Gajeel put back the rebound to secure the basket either way.

"MAGNOLIA'S LEAD STRETCHES BY 2 EXTRA POINTS!" Chapati Lola's head was about to explode as the cocky point guard came down the court with a look of crazy in his eyes.

"AHAHAHA! OH man I hope Lucy's watching this one!"

She was, but Lucy was still sitting with Levy in the back section of the presidential suite. She could see the court, but it would have been nicer if she had the courage to sit out with her father.

"Lucy?" Levy asked with a worried look. "Are you sure you don't want to move out there?"

"Huh?" Lucy stopped spinning her drink straw and looked up. "N-no sorry, it's fine. I can see the game from here just fine. Natsu's last attempt was pretty cool, but I'm glad Gajeel was there to save the day." She then winked to take the weight off her own shoulders.

Levy laughed. "Yea, well they do make a pretty good team."

As Levy and Lucy both laughed, a quickly called Tartarus time out came to an end as Jackal brought the ball down court.

"Okay, Dragneel…this games been fun, but I'm about to end it all right here."

"Oh really?" Natsu stood at the ready. "Well go ahead! I'm dying to see you actually put up a fight!"

Jackal smirked and nodded as he held up a signal with is fingers.

"Let's run a play… _Memento Mori!_ "

"Moment mo-what?" Natsu stopped as he felt a weird shift forming up behind him. As he looked around the Tartaros players all started looking more active. Then, Jackal made his move, and as he drove down the line he got very physical with his shoulder.

"Whoa man, you trying to draw an offensive…?" Natsu tried to call him out, but he quickly ditched the ball and passed it to his large Power forward Torafuzer.

Gajeel was too slow to reach him, but Gray stepped up and tried to block, however, the tinier Small forward earn a powerful hit as he fell to the floor.

"AND THE DEVILS FINALLY COME BACK ON THE SCORE BOARD!"

The fans sent out a mixed emotion of boos and cheers as Natsu started flipping out.

"HOLD ON GRAY'S ON THE DAMN FLOOR!? NO FOUL!?"

"Size difference." Lahar said with a serious expression, and as they ran down, Natsu helped Gray up.

"Come on. Just pass the ball in and we'll make up for it."

"Yea…" Gray said with a weirded out look in his eye as he heard Juvia yelling at him.

"GRAAAY!" DON'T LET THOSE OTHER PLAYERS BULLY YOU LIKE THAT! KEEP IT UP!"

That made him smile as he took the ball from Mest and passed it into Natsu.

Then, Natsu made no hesitation bringing it down the court, but as he did Jackal stepped his usually bounds and tipped the ball, but as he did he got a fair bit of Natsu's hand too.

"OY!" Natsu yelled flailing his hands. "FOUL CALL!?"

"AND TARTAROS'S JACKAL MAKES AN UNCONTESTED LAYUP!"

"NATSU!" Makarov yelled from the bench. "QUIT PLAYING GIRLFRIEND WITH THE REFS AND STAY IN THE DAMNED GAME!"

"Mgh…" Natsu looked angry, but he wasn't finished with his theory. As he ran down the court, he once again received an inbound pass from Gray and then tensed up as he went to set up a pay.

"Mmmmm…" He scanned the court, but as he made a move he impulsively passed it off to Gajeel instead of Gray, letting Torafuzer tear right through and steal the ball.

"AND THE DEMONS TAKE THE BALL BACK!" Chapati yelled out as Torafuzer passed it off to the quick Franmalth, who waited for his shooting guard Tempester to stand wide open, and as Tempester received the ball, he was miles ahead of Jellal, and easily sunk his next points of the game.

"THE TARTAROS DEVILS ARE REALLY MAKING A COME BACK FOLKS!"

Chapati couldn't keep his words quick enough, because as Natsu and Gray passed it in, the Devils hard pressed them, with a swarm of arms. Jackal took the ball back, and waited for more reinforcements before storming the castle yet again.

"Hmm…now which Fairy do I wanna embarrass next?" He pondered for a moment until a reckless Natsu came barreling in.

"Hah! Was there even a second choice?" Howling with laughter, Jackal shot the ball right over Natsu's head and sank an easy 3 pointer.

"AND THE DEVILS BRING THE LEAD BACK DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS! WE MIGHT HAVE A REAL GAME ON OUR HANDS FOLKS!"

"TIME OUT!"

Coach Makarov yelled out with anger as the refs blew their whistles, prompting all the players to leave the court for a 30 second break.

Natsu looked even more frustrated with himself, but before he said anything, Gray and Gajeel came up behind him.

"Look, just calm down, Natsu. We've still got the lead."

"Yea." Gajeel said with a grin. "I mean we're not all playin bad, so they can't take the whole team down!"

However, even with Gajeel's confidence, that statement was delivered far too soon. I all reality the devils made their comeback, and they made it historic.

* * *

5 point difference, 1 point difference, tied game, lead change, Devils up by 5, devils up by 10, 15…20…

The second quarter was coming to an end, and in some weird fashion of basketball, the Magnolia fairies were losing grip with everything they had done the entire game. Even more so, Tartaros wasn't even playing superior ball.

Elfman would go to block a drive, but Ezel would commit a rough, yet unseen foul. Gray would try keeping up with Franmalth, but as the drive would fly by Torafuzer, Gray would suddenly miss step and hit the floor. The refs saw it as speed and toughness from Tartaros, but the Fairies were trying not to pull their hair out as all these blatant fouls were being blown off in the middle of such an epic game.

Finally, as the half was coming to an end…

"RAGH!" Natsu tried keeping up with Jackal's sprint, but the craft Tartaros point guard was literally laughing in his face as he shifted his hands, switched the ball over, crossed Natsu's feet, and delivered an unexpected pass to Tempester for an easy three to beat the buzzer.

"AND FOLKS THAT'S THE FIRST HALF! TARTAROS MOUNTS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE COME BACK OF THE AGES, AND SCORE 35 POINTS IN A SINGLE HALF! Meanwhile, the Fairies are starting to look lackluster, as they only managed to get a total of 5 points the entire half. We'll take a break here in Crocus with the score Tartaros 40, Magnolia 25."

The stadium was nearly blocking out Chapati's broadcast with all the bizarre play calling by the refs. Fans on both sides looked like they were about to riot, but for totally different reasons.

Either way, the supporters for the Magnolia Fairies were not too pleased.

"AGH! NOT THIS CRAP AGAIN!" Sting tried climbing over people sitting in front of him to run onto the court, but Rogue and Yukino held him by his arms and tried to force him in his seat.

"I don't get it…?" Meldy said as she looked over to a frustrated Sting. "I knew Tartaros was good, but didn't everyone else? Why is everyone acting so crazy?"

Lyon let out a reluctant sigh. "They are, but they don't just win because they're so talented. Sure they require very skilled players, but they only use that to mask their dirty style of play." He then looked down to the proud band of exiting devils.

"Some people believe Tartaros are given extra advantages when playing in their games…but they never seem to take up the full game. Watch, Tartaros will acquire a big lead, but they'll hold back on the rough play in the late 3rd quarter. That's when the opposing team will eventually get too frustrated to catch back up…" He then looked at the scoreboard.

"And I hate to say it…but this is one of the biggest leads they've ever held going into a half this post season."

"THESE GUYS ARE PLAYING DIRTY!" Romeo yelled from his feet as both teams finally left the court. He came in with amusement for the game, but now the bizarre style of rough play had even left him in anger.

Wendy looked apologetic. "Romeo, I'm sorry I asked you to come out here. I never thought it would be this bad…"

Romeo looked down at her sad expression and shook his head. He then sat back down and tried giving her a smile.

"Nah, come to think of it? This will just make their comeback even better!"

Wendy liked his attitude, but on the other end of their row some other Fairy fans weren't looking equally as optimistic.

"Hmm…" Haru looked at the scoreboard and tried repressing the worst possible outcome. "So do we think they can come back? I knew Tartaros was crafty, but damn."

Gildart cleared his throat. "I can't say I know how to answer that. The Fairies just have to come out and play their little hearts out if thy actually want to win this thing."

Yet, as both of those Acalypha boys starting to bring some gloom to their section, Ellie started laughing.

"Guys, are you for real?"

Both men looked over with wide eyes and confused looks as Ellie let out a bright smile.

"They have Natsu and Gray! They'll be fine!"

* * *

~Now, inside the locker room.

* * *

"THIS IS A BIG LOAD OF BULL CRAP!"

Natsu continued to punch the very expensive row of lockers along the brightly colored wall, but Gray pulled him off before he started to injure his knuckles.

"Would you cut it out, man!? You're gonna get hurt and miss the second half!"

Natsu started growling and turned to Makarov. "Come on Gramps! Isn't there anything we can do out this!?"

"Mff…" Makarov sat with a serious expression and waited for all eyes to meet his before he spoke up. "I knew this would happen. No one knows what the public ever believes, but there have been rumors Tartarus has been playing extra dirty this year…in any case be on your guard. I highly doubt they'll be able to keep it up the entire game…and for the love of god do not stoop down to their level. That's the last thing we need for a comeback."

"Hmph…" Natsu began to pout and sat back on one of the lockers before Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"Come on Salamander, you saw what happened to me in the Phantom game, and that was only for the last few seconds! Hell you got kicked out of the Saber City game mid-way through the season. You can't go pullin that crap in a game like this!"

Gray agreed, but after looking at a still angry Natsu, he wanted to put it in terms the fiery tempered point guard would better understand. "Yea, I mean think about Wendy, or hell even Lucy…you wanna go acting like an idiot with them watching?"

Natsu tensed up, but then remembered getting kicked out of the Saber City game. He had no obligations other than the teammates, and his sister back then, and Wendy wasn't even there to watch him embarrass himself. He wasn't dating Lucy at the time either, but now both Wendy and Lucy were in the crowd of people watching them play, not to mention all the other people he cared about.

"…Fine. I'll stay calm for as long as I can…but that means you jerks will have to start scoring baskets too."

Gray laughed and slapped him on the back. "Hey, not to worry, we'll be right behind ya."

Everyone stood up as Elfman walked forward. "Alright you cry babies, why don't we go out there and show these fools what Real Men do on a basketball court?"

* * *

Now the third quarter was underway, and if the scoreboard was completely left blank it might have appeared to be a closer game.

Tartaros kept scoring for a good chunk of the first minutes, but after that the Fairies would make a nice response to their own basket. The quarter lacked sound defense, but neither team was ready to start collecting fouls any time soon.

"Alright you morons let's make this one easy on them!" Jackal laughed as he crossed the ball over and tried to fake out a serious Natsu.

The Fairy PG stood idly by with a determined expression as he watched every little move Jackal made. Then, the Tartaros Devil advanced. In a swift move of gold, Jackal pierced by Natsu, twirled around Gajeel in the inner court, dumped the ball to Torafuzer and watched the giant man slam down a dunk to extend their commanding lead by 2.

Chapati would have made an intense play call, but he had learned after a few minutes into the quarter to let the Fairies make their counter, and make it they did. Natsu mimicked Jackal's swift ball control, but then spun around, and waited for Gray to set a pick, letting Natsu run right in and draw the defense off. There, he turned and passed it off to a floating Jellal on the arc, who's fade away 3 left Tempester in his tracks as the Fires trimmed the fat on the scoreboard.

"Well there seems to be a rhythm here in the 3rd quarter folks! The Devils will send up a score, but the Fairies will make a counter!"

Yajima shook his head with hesitation. "True…but the Devils are scoring at a much slower pace. The Fairies seem to be playing pretty quick ball on their end.

He was right. Jackal loved watching his opponents bleed out in the second half of games, and more often than not let the clock run down on his control before dumping it off to his team. However, this usually ended in a slow scoring half for his team, or the other team found critical holes in the Devil offense and utilized their slow play to gain some steals.

In this case, both seemed to be logical outcomes.

"AND GAJEEL STEALS THE BALL FROM TORAFUZER! TEMPESTER TRIES TO TAKE IT BACK, BUT THE MAN OF BLACK STEEL DUMPS IT OF TO GRAY AND SCORE! FULLBUSTER GATHERS A DUNK!"

The fans lit up with tenacious energy as Juvia and the Fullbuster parents all stood to cheer.

Silver looked over to Juvia. "Hey, isn't that his ninth score of the quarter?"

Juvia nodded, because she had been making a self-count all game long. "If he gets one more he'll have 20 this quarter alone!"

"Wow Gray's playing really well tonight!" This came from up in the private booths as Lucy was looking at the score board. "He might have 30 before the end of the game!"

Levy nodded. "Yea! I think everyone's been playing really well this half!"

Lucy agreed, but then looked down to a still heated Natsu standing in a defensive stance.

 _"_ _Come on…just relax and get through this game in one piece Natsu."_

It sounded easier said than done. Natsu wasn't playing that bad on offense yet, but his defense was almost nonexistent to make sure their team drew no more fouls. Yet as he'd sit back it left room for Jackal to run all over him.

"Hehehe man I hope your family's here watching tonight, ay Salamander? I bet they're real happy to be here!"

Natsu tuned him out and kept his eyes on the ball.

Jackal howled. "Oh and that girl you're datin', isn't she Heartfilia's daughter? I've seen her around…got one annoying mouth on her that's for sure!"

Natsu never flinched.

Jackal shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You're pathetic, Dragneel…" He then laughed as he plowed forward and knocked Natsu on his bottom, ran forward to jump up for a shot, but also knocked Gray down in the process.

 _*WHISTLE!*_

"And Jackal's newest basket has been revoked as the third quarter comes to an end…AND OH MY LORD LOOK AT THAT, THE FAIRIES ARE ONLY DOWN BY 10!"

Jackal would have followed, but now he was right in Mest's face after the 3rd quarter whistle blew. "Excuse me, but I was in the middle of a shot!?"

Mest. "Yes, and the quarter came to an end before you finished…"

Jackal got closer in his face. "Funny, I don't remember you ever bringing a spine to games before, Gryder. What about those two pussies I knocked over on the way to the rim? Would you call those fouls, or no?"

Mest made no comment as Jackal nodded.

"I thought so…now that I know you're not completely useless, keep your head on straight for the final quarter. After all…it is only fifteen minutes."

Mest bit his tongue until Jackal left his presence.

"Fifteen minutes? Okay then…"

Now it was time for the fourth quarter. Natsu took the ball because Jackal let the clock expire with their possession. As the Salamander took the ball down court, he kept his eyes peeled for open players.

"Hmm…GAJEEL!"

"WHA…!?" Gajeel looked alive and confused as he received an awfully wobbly pass from Natsu. He then pivoted to try and keep Torafuzer off his tail, and went to deliver a pass to Jellal.

Sadly, Tempester was closing in, which only left him with one choice.

"AGH…ELFMAN DON'T SCREW THIS PLAY UP!"

"WHY ME!?" Elfman yelled out and one handed the pass received from Gajeel. He then looked Ezel in his crazed eyes and smiled.

"Okay big guy, you're about to see what a Real Man can do!" Running forward, he plowed his way to the basket, made the shot, and even sent Ezel to the line.

 _*WHISTLE*_

Mest and Lahar both came in flailing their open arms about, but as they removed their whistles, they seemed to have mixed calls. Mest held up a sign for a blocking foul, while Lahar held up a fist for an offensive charge.

Fans were totally confused until Lahar stepped forward

"Mest…what's going on?"

Mest held his call firmly in place. "I was here first, Lahar…it's a foul on Tartarus."

"AND THE DEVILS ACQUIRE THEIR FIRST FOUL OF THE NIGHT! ELFMAN SHOOTS FOR 2!"

Throughout the entire night, Mard Geer had sat back quietly in his private balcony with Keyes at his side. However, as soon as that call came about, the curious Devil owner sat up with disapproving look stretched across his face.

Mest felt sweat forming over his brow, but delivered the ball to Elfman either way. "That's 2 shots Strauss."

Elfman smiled with pride and sank the first one without a hesitating thought, and as he shot the second on, he directed his words to his teammates. "Okay guys, looks like we got a new strategy."

As Tartaros awkwardly took the ball after the fouls, Jackal dribbled it down court, but as he did Natsu raised an eyebrow and noticed Jackal's body language looked to be less aggressive, and more passive.

"Hehe…" Laughing in his mind, he then stepped up but never made another move, and hoped that just a little bit of pressure was all that he needed.

Jackal felt weight coming down on his shoulders. "What the hell…that was the first foul called on us during the entire playoffs…" He then remembered his talk with Mest at the end of the last quarter. "Don't tell me I did this…oh Gryder, you'll be in one hell of a world once Mard Geer gets a hold of you…"

However, Jackal was too busy being lost in his day dream as Natsu swiped at the ball, tipped it form his hands, passed it off to Gray, and watched as the Small Forward dribbled it down court, and shot up a 2 point layup.

"Hehe…" Natsu laughed as he slowly stood up. "Looks like Elfman was right, we have a new gave after all."

The game was winding down, and the difference was only 3 points, 68-65. The Fairies had the ball, and as Natsu carried it around he looked to Jackal.

"What's the matter big shot? Your boys look like they've had all the life sucked out of em!"

Jackal rolled his eyes." Play the damned ball, Fairy."

"If you say so!" Nastu finally let a smile take his face again after the entire half, and just like that he threw it between Jackal's spread legs, watched for an approaching Franmalth, passed it to an open Gray and expected to see an easy 2.

However, he was in luck, because Gray kept the ball moving, passed it off to Jellal, and then watched his teammate sink an easier made 3, evening up the score board and sending the crowd to their feet.

"AND JELLAL FERNANDES MAKES THE 3! THE METEOR MAN OF CROCUS TIES THE BALL GAME AT 68 ALL! WITH ONLY 15 SECONDS LEFT, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN HERE, FOLKS!?"

Makarov giggled like a little school girl and tugged on Erza's black pants as he tried to contain his excitement, but the red headed assistant coach was too busy smiling at her boyfriend's unbelievable shot to even notice what he was doing.

Natsu howled and raised his hands, and as he Devils took the inbound pass they came at full force. This caught the Fairies off guard, and as Jackal took the ball into enemy territory he had no choice but to dump it off to Torafuzer.

The Power Forward eyed Gajeel, but Jackal yelled out first. "Try fouling, Redfox. You'll just rack up more shots for us."

Torafuzer rolled his eyes. "Shut it, Jackal." He then baited Gajeel, but as the Black Steel didn't move, he spun around and dumped it off to Ezel down low.

"HEHEHE!" The dimwitted center took the ball and went u for a dunk, but as he did Elfman drew a very need fowl instead.

However, he managed to not only block the shot, but also sent Ezel to the floor. The Devil center slowly stood up and gave Elfman a piercing eye.

"Okay then…so the Fairies _aren't_ afraid to foul anymore…?"

Elfman rolled his eyes. "Get to the line, dude. We have a game to finish."

"Hehe…okay then." Ezel did just that, and as he took the pass from Lahar he made his first free throw, and missed the second one.

However, as both teams ran for it, Ezel ran forward with a maddening face and laughed as Elfman of all people grabbed the ball.

 _*SLAM*_

Ezel somehow made it look clean, maybe because it was so close to the end line, but either way nothing stopped Elfman's body from slamming into the pole that held up the basket, knocking his back pretty hard and sending him down to the floor immediately.

"ELFMAN!" Natsu ran forward and shoved everyone out of his way as both refs stopped the game. Makarov, Erza, and all the bench players ran forward too, and the cheerleaders stopped cheering as Mira, Lisanna, and Evergreen all held their hands over their mouths.

"Come on buddy, say something!" Natsu tried slapping him in the face, but he was only greeted with two dull eyes.

"Oh man…am I a real man or what? I can't…hehe…my back is killing me."

"Grrr…" Natsu stood up, but Makarov grabbed his arm.

"Not now boy, they never called a foul, so starting a riot won't change anything. However, that being said…"

All the Fairies looked down to the injured Elfman, with the exception of the already half-injured Laxus. The veteran center looked over to the scoreboard and noticed there was only 3 seconds left, and with the Fairies being down, he sighed.

"Agh damn it…well, looks like I'm playing after all."

* * *

 **Oh dear god...more waiting!? UGHHHH!**

 **New chapter soon!**


	51. 51 - Where There A Will

**Author's Note: OKAY! Will this be the conclusion to the epic finale game!? Find out as you read along in the new chapter! Haha...**

 **No joke I felt really good about this one...I also skipped out on studying for a final so you're welcome (nobody freak out I'll still get an A in that particular class. I strategize my procrastination haha.)**

 **Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty One - Where There's a Will...

* * *

Fans throughout the entire stadium stood and clapped as Elfman stood and was taken to the locker room for an evaluation. Somehow, by some stroke of sheer luck he managed to stand up after that brutal hit to the back, and even on his way out the tall brute raised a hand with all his strength to give his fans some lasting comfort.

Finally, he turned his head and whispered to himself. "Go get 'em guys. Magnolia needs ya now more than ever."

From there, the Fairies were forced to make a decision.

"Well can't like Bickslow come in as center!? He's pretty tall!" Natsu yelled inside the team huddle as there was still only 3 seconds left on the clock. "Or how about you Droy! I noticed you've been putting on some pounds lately!"

"Hey man not cool!" Droy patted his trim stomach and sighed. "Well…I dunno maybe I have."

Jet rolled his eyes and continued. "We don't have to play with a center. Positions in basketball aren't required after all."

"No…" Makarov said firmly. "But we need a big man to stay on Ezel. It's bad enough Torafuzer out-sizes Gajeel, but we can't afford to lose a rebound if we miss these shots."

All the Fairies began to think until one man stood up out of the circle and threw off his training jersey.

"Ah fuck it…my elbow isn't that bad anyway."

"WHAT!?" Everyone yelled out as Laxus stood up with his white Fairies jersey, and Erza spoke first.

"Laxus have you even been re-evaluated?" She said with a concern for his health.

"Of course I was." He laughed. "Why else do you think I went ahead and put on the stupid jersey? I don't like this team _that_ much…" He then felt two very judgmental eyes coming to him from his grandfather.

"Ugh…relax, like I told you before the game they said I'm questionable, but to be honest most of it was a lie on my end. I liked seeing Elfman play in there, and he wasn't doing half bad."

"Hold on." Gray stopped him there. "You're saying you lied about being injured for that long, just to give Elfman playing time?"

Laxus waved a hand. "Hey, none of this cheesy sentimental crap right now, Fullbuster. I gotta game to play."

Makarov stopped his breath for a moment before letting out a large sigh. "Fine…but since the foul occurred on the injured player we can sub in whoever we'd like from the bench to take the shots. Therefore…"

Laxus stopped him there. "Therefore nothing. I'm takin these shots gramps, end of the story."

As all the other members looked around confused at one another Laxus went ahead and went to the line.

"WAIT WE'RE GOING NOW!?" Natsu and the others yelled as they all ran into position, which prompted both the referees and the Devils of Tartarus to do the same.

Chapati stood up from his seat in pure excitement to make his next call. "I DON'T BELIVE IT! LAXUS DREYAR, TEAM CAPTAIN AND BELOVED VETERAN OF MAGNOLIA HAS SUBBED IN FROM A PLAYOFF-LONG INJURY TO FINISH THE GAME!"

Fans of the Fairies cheered louder than they had all night as Laxus took his place. Also, the cheerleading squad (including a very teary eyed Mirajane) jumped on their feet in pure excitement, but quickly grew quiet as Laxus went to shoot.

"Hmm…" He thought to himself as he took the ball from Mest, and then looked up to see the clock and score above his head. _"I gotta make both of these things huh? Interesting…"_

Smiling the entire time he raised his hands in thought, but tried to hide the pain from taking over his face. _"Well, that was a nice lie back there…this damned elbow still feels sore, but why should I care?"_

Time stopped in Laxus's head as he dribbled once more, and as he did the first shot sank down through the net with ease.

Fans erupted as the score changed, leaving it at 69-69 with 3 seconds left.

Gray and Gajeel ran up from the side posts to high five him, and Natsu and Jellal came over from the center circle to give him a congrats as well. Then, he geared up for his next shot.

Quietly thinking, and patiently dribbling, Laxus waited a moment before he raised his arms and made his second shot, until his left elbow buckled when he made the shooting formation with his arms and caused the ball to flutter lowly out of his hands.

Without hitting the net, as soon as someone touched the ball the clock was free to run, but with Gajeel being the tallest Fairy in the box, Ezel was the first man up who grabbed the ball.

"GET RID OF IT YOU DOPE!" Jackal yelled for a pass as he ran through Natsu and Jellal at the center line.

Ezel on the other hand grinned for a second and then laughed. "Hehehe…OKAY!"

Throwing it like a football, the ball went over Laxus's head, then went over Natsu and Jellal's head…then went over Jackal's head too.

 _*SMACK*_

Fans let out a gasp as the ball hit off the far backboard of the opposite basket and slammed onto the ground, draining the clock and leaving the game tied at 69-69.

"AND THE FBA FINALS WILL HEAD INTO OVERTIME!"

"AH NOOOOOO!" Natsu and Jackal both fell to their knees side by side as they wanted to smash their heads into the ground. Gray, Gajeel, Jellal, and all the other Tartaros players looked disappointed too, but none more than Laxus, who held his head down and tried to let his heart rate lower back down to normal.

However, before things got to depressing for him, he looked over to find Mirajane winking in a joking manor after he missed the game winning shot. That made him laugh, and put him in good spirits as both teams huddled up for the final 5 minutes of play.

"Oh this can't be good!" Juvia stood up with a pounding heart as she tried to get Gray's attention, but to no avail he was in the middle of a team huddle.

"Oh this is super exciting!" Mika Fullbuster said with a laugh in her voice. "But now I'm nervous…oh Silver this reminds me of the days when you use to play!"

"HA!" Silver let out a howl. "This is way better than the crap basketball games I played in. Overtime eh? This will be a fun one indeed…"

"GO MAGNOLIA!" Wendy and Romeo both stood up at the same time and yelled out to get Natsu and the others' attentions, but much like Juvia they were too lost in the play call.

Ellie looked over to see them cheering and laughed. "Awe, she's just like Natsu isn't she?"

Haru turned and nodded. "Yea, but she's probably easier to talk to…" He then looked out to the huddled fairies and smiled as all his worries vanished.

"Eh like you said Ellie, Natsu and Gray will win this one and send everyone home with ease."

Gildarts nodded but just finished chewing on a wad of popcorn in his mouth. "I hope so…this stuff is gonna be the death of me if I have to sit here for a whole other quarter eating it."

 _~Meanwhile up at the Presidential suite._

"Wow I can't believe we're going to overtime. I'm too nervous to stay and watch this!" Levy held her hands up to her face and shook her head as if this was all just a dream.

Lucy also sat up on her chair with a look of disbelieve. "I'll say, that whole game was hard enough! Still…"

She then looked down in the balcony section to see her father regularly chatting with President Fiore. That left her a little confused.

Then both ladies were interrupted as 2 men in all black suits plowed through the glass doors in the front of the room and ran into the balcony section. Then one man bent down and whispered something into the tiny president's ear.

Grunting the whole way, President Fiore reluctantly stood up and followed them out, only to be trailed by his beautiful daughter Hisui.

Then, as Toma and the two men ran through the back room, Hisui stopped and smiled at the two girls.

"Oh Lucy I didn't know you were here with Ms. McGarden!"

Lucy awkwardly smiled and nodded. "Ahehe yep I was here the whole time…I wasn't avoiding you or your dad or anything, just…"

Hisui giggled and waved a hand. "Oh it's quite alright, but it is good to see you again! I haven't seen you since we were both little girls." She then turned and looked back at the balcony. "You know your father has been worrying about you the entire game?"

"He…has?" Lucy said with a curious pause in her voice.

Hisui nodded. "Yes, but I'll let you catch up with him yourself. For now I have to follow my father for some random meeting…only in the life of the President." She then bowed and left for the door. "Until we meet again!"

Lucy paused for a moment and swiveled in her chair to look down at her lone father sitting by himself. Commissioner Arcadios left at half time, and Caprico was sitting in the same room with Lucy and Levy. After the Fiore's random departure Jude had been left to sit all alone in the balcony.

As Lucy was left starring through the glass, Levy smiled and nudged her on the arm. " _Heyyy_ …go talk to him."

"Eh?" Lucy said with an acquired blush of discomfort on her face. Then she did a double take and sighed. "Ugh…fine."

Lucy's heart started beating several times faster as she walked outside, and then she slowly sat down next to her father.

Jude gasped the moment he saw her. "Lucy? Where…where have you been this whole time?"

Lucy held her head sown low and pointed to the glass. "I've been sitting in there with Levy. You looked so busy with President Toma I didn't want to bother you…" She lied to hide her true story.

Jude looked at his daughter and sighed with relief. "Oh thank heavens. I was beginning to worry you'd gone and missed the game! It's been very exciting to say the least."

"Wha…?" Lucy froze her sentence as Jude started pointing down to all her friends

Jude explained. "I looked all around at your friends, but I never once saw you sitting with any of them. The last few games you were with that Juvia girl and that little Meldy from you school, but here I find that you're nowhere to be found…and to think you've been sitting behind me the entire time."

Lucy wanted to smile, but she wasn't that proud of herself for hiding. "Dad, I have to come clean…I've been sort of avoiding you the entire time."

Jude nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I picked up on that as soon as you flew on into Crocus without me…then I find you used my perks as CEO of the airlines to give you and your friends free first-class seating."

Lucy was about to fall out of the balcony, and for a moment she even considered doing it as she looked over the edge. "Hmm…I wonder if this drop is high enough to…?"

"Lucy calm down. I don't care about any of that…I'm just glad to see you here."

Lucy stopped acting childish as Jude cleared his throat. "You know, Mr. Sequen didn't come to this game?"

She went to reply, but then she actually collected what he just said. The he explained. "It's almost as if…his plans for buying the team went away at the very last second."

Lucy raised her head and met her big brown eyes with her father's, and before she could crack a smile, Jude reached over to his side.

"But forget that, I'll explain the details later…for now I need to tell you why I've truly been looking for you. I wanted to give you this for you to enjoy the final moments of the game." He turned and grabbed a big black box that looked neatly put together. He also handed her a very familiar and very missing on-court press pass, which started to make Lucy's eye twitch uncontrollably.

"Dad…I've been looking for this all game you know?"

Jude scratched his head. "Oh I'm sorry, but as I said I was worried I never found you anywhere, so I went ahead and picked up your pass. Also inside that box, it just so happens to be…"

"A CAMERA!?" Lucy yelled out in shock. It wasn't just a camera, but a brand new, sleek black, professional-grade journalism camera. The same kind that were currently sitting on the side line taking photos of the game down below.

Jude then smiled. "You know, this overtime battle is going to be one for the ages…it might be good for your future career if you were to get a game-winning camera shot."

Lucy shook with pure confusion, and the camera almost fell out of her hands as a result. Then, without any more hesitations, Lucy put the camera and pass around her neck, stood up, and gave her father the biggest hug of her life.

"Thank you so much daddy! I love you sooo much…I'll see you after the game!" And just like that Lucy ran up the short stairs, past a laughing Levy, and through the door.

Jude was left alone watching his daughter leave as a tiny smile crossed his face. "No worries Lucy. I love you too."

* * *

Now, running frantically down the stadium hallways and into the lower tunnels, Lucy barely had enough concentration to flash her pass and run out to a very lively court. Tightly squeezing into the end of the court standing section for photographers, Lucy had to crawl on all fours underneath the large crowd to get to the court side area.

However as she got there Lucy barely noticed the overtime play had already begun, and right then she gasped as Natsu and Jackal came crashing down over the endline in a fight for the ball right in front of her.

"JUMP BALL! FAIRIES HAVE IT!"

Mest yelled out the call as Natsu started laughing to an angry Jackal. He then turned and realized he was only a foot away from Lucy with her camera. "Woah when the hell did you get down here, Lucy!?"

"Natsu!" She yelled with anger and confusion. "You know you have a game to…oh what the hell? Hold still!"

She then snapped a derpy picture of her confused boyfriend leaning on his hands. Natsu blinked for a moment then smiled. "Hehe, whatever Lucy. You're so weird sometimes." He then crawled forward a little more and gave her a peck on the forehead, causing her to light up with flushes of red all over her cheeks.

Then Natsu stood up and waved for Gray to come over. "Okay, you just keep playing with your little toy, Lucy." He laughed and Gray shook his head as the latter passed the ball inbounds.

Lucy began to blush as all the other photographers around her looked down with wide eyes. She held her head down until one of them slowly leaned over.

"Hey kid…how much for that goofy picture of Dragneel? It'd make a great cover for the FBA website!"

Now, Natsu ran down court with roughly 3 minutes left in the game. His eyes pierced around the hard wood like a hawk, and then he made his pass. "OKAY LAXUS BACK AT YA!"

Natsu felt that since Laxus hadn't played all playoffs long, now would be a good time to get him as many passes as possible. Laxus on the other hand wasn't that eager to play. "DAMN IT NATSU! NOT ALL THE…"

Too late. Ezel stomped in and stole the pass, and quickly dumped it off to Torafuzer, who was tanking his way down the court with an angry Gajeel following in his footsteps.

With determined eyes, Torafuzer gave it to Franmalth, who laughed the whole way as he switched the court to get Tempester the ball. Tempester remained silent but deadly as he made a silky 3 point shot, and sent the fans back on their feet.

"AND WITH JUST UNDER 2 MINUTES LEFT TARTAROS TAKES A 3 POINT LEAD! 75-72!"

Natsu made no hesitation with taking the inbounded pass from Gray, but then he also made no hesitation in dumping a quick pass off to that very same Gray.

"Natsu what the hell!?" Gary was now very confused as this appeared to be Natsu's tenth time in overtime for getting rid of the ball moments after bringing it down court.

"What?" Natsu said with a grin as Jackal marked up on him. "I like to facilitate."

"JUST SHOOT THE BALL GRAY!" Juvia yelled from her seats with anxiety. "IF NATSU'S TOO MUCH OF A COWARD YOU'LL HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF!"

"Man…" Gray laughed to himself. "That never gets old." He then switched the ball around his back, crossed over, the passed it through Franmalth's legs right to Laxus, who had no issue getting a dunk with his right hand over Ezel.

"AND THE FAIRIES GET 2! 75-74!"

Laxus laughed in Ezel's face. "Sorry, am I not crippled enough for ya? If so we have a real one still on the bench." He the gestured to a quickly bandaged Elfman, who held up on his trip to the hospital to wait and watch the end of the game with his teammates.

"Um…" Ezel said with the first normal expression of his life. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"HA!" Laxus howled "Sure…he is a real man after all."

Both players failed to notice that in a split second of time Jellal managed to make a 3 pointer and take the lead for Magnolia. Now with a counter, Jackal snapped at his team. "Okay Ezel cut it out with the talking crap! Everyone else just get the fuck open!"

He crossed the ball around and then passed it off to Franmalth, who did the same to try and avoid Gray's long arms. Then, the sly Small Forward turned and passed it back to Jackal, who tried shooting a 3. However, the shot bounced off the rim, and into the hands of Torafuzer, who passed it back out to Tempester and let him make the 3 instead.

As fans cheered, and the score changed into 78-77, Torafuzer narrowed his vision right in front of Jackal.

"Stop fucking up the game Jackal…or else Mard Geer won't hold back on his threats to fire you."

"Egh…" Jackal looked even more pissed with Torafuzer. "Keep that trap shut. I won't need it once I win this damned game."

The two Devils left each other's view as Natsu brought the ball down the court again.

The pink haired fool let off a grin for his enemies to see. "Hehe. You two are real cute, you know that?! It almost makes for good TV!"

Jackal rolled his eyes. "Shut it Dragneel, but now that you mention it…is that your girl over their takin' pics?" He nodded his head to a focused Lucy adjusting her lenses.

However, before Jackal continued, Natsu smiled and never gave him satisfaction. "Dude don't even bother. She's way too cool for your trash talk."

That left Jackal angry, and just angry enough for Natsu to barrel forward for a 2 point jumper. Sadly he missed, but as everyone bum-rushed the shot, Gajeel got his hands on it and put it back for 2 easy points, but was tipped as soon as Ezel started swinging his hands.

Then, Mest blew his whistle and gave Gajeel 2 free throws. Fans laughed the moment Gajeel missed his first, which prompted him to turn and comically yell for all to see.

"WOULD Y'ALL JUST SHUT UP!? Buncha morons…" He then took a breath, received the ball, and put up the second one to tie the game at 78 all.

"Hehe!" He laughed. "Normally I'm the one leaving fowls, but that was kinda fun too!"

Then, Tartaros took the ball, and as Jackal brought it down the field, he tried to muster up something clever to say for Natsu.

"So what now? You gonna win the game and take my spot? Or are you gonna let ol Sequen buy that team and watch your little girly leave the country?"

Natsu shook his head. "Man news sure travels fast in this league! And buddy I don't know what my plans are after this, but I sure ain't sharing them with you."

"Agh…" Jackal started dribbling the ball with more and more power as his eyes grew more frustrated. Then, Natsu cracked a smile and swiped at the ball, receiving it from Jackal's hands and prompting a turnover.

Time had crossed into the lower seconds as Lucy led a running line of crazed photographers along the sideline trying to get the best shot of the final moments, and as they did the Fairies and Devils ran too, all in order to try and react fast enough for Natsu's play.

However, when Natsu received the ball he never moved. He just sat at the center mark and dribbled with a smirk on his face, slowly inching his way forward into the other half of the court. All the fans were up on their feet. Chapati and Yajima were halfway standing on their desks, and even Jude, Levy, Caprico, Keyes, and Mard Geer of all people had risen to their feet to witness the final moments of the FBA finals.

However, as they passed, and the seconds wound down past 10, an even more frustrated Jackal looked very anxious for a move to be made.

"COME ON!" He yelled out, remembering his enemy was in the double bonus, which would have given them free shots after a foul of any kind. "JUST DO SOMETHING ALL READY!"

Natsu didn't move as time ticked down past 5, and all he did was look forward with a smirking grin on his face as the ball dribbled up and down between his hand and the court.

All the Devils of Tartaros looked confused, and actually all the Fairies of Magnolia looked even worse. Makarov was jumping around on a chair, and Erza had Freed in a head lock. Bickslow, Elfman, and the other bench players all stood up to see what Natsu would do, but it turns out, with everyone in the room, the only one who knew what would happen was Gray Fullbuster.

As Natsu sat at the back court, Gray's mind immediately went back to that last night he and Natsu hung out inside the Acalypha rec center, and then he laughed to himself.

 _"_ _Man…Say what you want about his attitude…Natsu can sure play ball."_

And on that note the clock hit 2 seconds, but nothing else mattered as Natsu launched a very long shot from beyond the arc, and watched as it fluttered passed the empty clock that was now frozen at 0.

Finally Natsu raised his hands in the air and waited as the sound of the buzzer matched the swish of the net, prompting his best friends and teammates to run over cheering in a crazed frenzy. The Domus Flau, full of wild fans on both sides, nearly launched itself out of the ground as the ball went in, the clock went down, and the game came to an end.

From there a curse was broken, and after decades of hardship, one team finally rose above the rest as the new league champions.

* * *

 **AND THEY WIN IT! OH MAN WHO WOULDA PREDICTED THAT!? ...**

 **...I mean it was pretty obvious you don't have to lie, but didn't you enjoy it either way? I thought it was my best written game yet! That being said...**

 **Next chapter, might be the legit end of it all. See you tomorrow when I release it.**


	52. 52 - When it's All Said and Done

**Author's Note: Ohhh man, I never like to tear up after these things, but if you all could see my keyboard...**

 **Guys all kidding aside this has been quite the god damned trip for me to experience. Wow, what a story for me to write. If you look on my page, though I am very proud of all my work, my stories never generate large crowds.**

 **That being said thanks to all you wonderful people this story has actually generated a very nice sized crowd! I even** **broke 200 reviews, which is one of the greatest things I could have asked for from the audience! I also must confess...**

 **I 've always wanted to write an in-depth romance like this one, but my main reason for starting it was a sort of experiment. If you do happen to look at my previous stories you'll note my plots and genres stretch all across the board, but some of my more popular ones show some bit of romance. Also, when reviewing this website it seems that romance always tends to be a people pleaser. Therefore when I developed the idea for _Hardcourt Heroes_ I did so as an experiment to see if romances were truly the desired genre I made them out to be...and I sort of proved myself right? Eh it doesn't matter, but anyway thank you all very much for tuning in! **

**Before I let you read the chapter I want to say one last thing...although I am not making any promises, and although it make take a very long time to develop...look out for 2 or 3 key "Easter eggs" in this finale chapter. They may lead into an eventual sequel...?**

 **Finally, to quote Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart; Here it is, your "Moment of Zen."**

 **Also for the f*cking last time I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL!**

* * *

Chapter Fifty Two - When it's all said and done

* * *

"IT'S OVER! THE WINNER OF THE FBA CHAMPIONSHIP ARE THE MAGNOLIA FAIRIES!"

The headline of the night couldn't have sounded sweeter as Chapati Lola yelled into his on-camera microphone. Fans erupted around him in boisterous numbers as Yajima just stopped and laughed to admire the scene.

"I told you, you worry too much. The Fairies had this game won all along." He then stopped and looked up to see colored confetti drop down from the ceiling, letting him lean back and sigh with relief.

 _"_ _Ah, just like the days playing under Yury and Precht…way to go Maki. Ya really deserved this one."_

The Fairies themselves were also enjoying the moment of glory as most of the team tackled Natsu to the ground in an all-out frenzy. Jellal and Laxus stayed out but were both just as happy none the less.

Tartaros on the other hand stomped and roared on their way out of the arena. Torafuzer, Tempester, Kyoka, and Seilah kept level heads, but members like Franmalth, Ezel, and Jackal could be heard yapping and yelling all the way into the locker room. As they left, Mest shook his head and laughed as he held the game ball in his hands. He then walked up and slapped Lahar on the back.

"Hey, I think it's safe to say the Devils will be playing like normal from now on."

Lahar sighed. "I guess so. Listen Mest...I apologize for trying to change the call earlier. I wasn't aware we were doing our own thing, and now..."

Mest laughed and waved it away. "Nah, just buy me a drink after we're done here. Yea, we may have let Tartaros get away with a bit more than we should have...but the only people who were gonna call us out to the league were the Fairies, and I have a feeling they've completely forgotten about that now." He then smiled with sarcasm and gestured to Natsu lying inside a mound of his Magnolia teammates.

Up in the owner's boxes, both Jude Heartfilia and Mard Geer were greeted by mixed emotions.

Jude was smiling and quickly received a spontaneous hug from his young GM Levy, and as Caprico gave him a smile, Jude turned to look a crossed the stadium at the Tartarus head crew.

Keyes had already left, but Mard Geer was still sitting in shock as his mouth was wide open and his tongue looked like it was about to fall out. Additionally, although Jude could barely see, it looked like Mard's eyes were twitching as well.

Either way, he shook his head a bit and stood up in a jolt of irritation. Quickly re-adjusting his suit blazer, he looked to find Jude giving him a sarcastic salute with two fingers over his forehead, and as a result Mard simply cracked a tiny smile and nodded for minor congratulations.

However, as Mard Geer walked through the back room of his booth, he received a mysterious cell phone call.

"Hello…? Oh it's _you_ …"

"Mard Geer? It's good to hear from you...I just finished watching the game. My my what a finish that was." Said a very young voice on the other line in a passive bout of sarcasm.

Mard rolled his eyes. "Yes, well as you put it before…Fiore basketball isn't that impressive these days. We probably could have won by your standards of basketball."

The young man laughed. "Oh come now I believe that league is on the rise…nothing like the teams we have here in _Alvarez_ , but they make do with their own level of skill."

"I suppose…" Mard then raised his head. "You know…the one who made the shot was Natsu Dragneel?"

"Hah…" The young man laughed. "I actually did see that…so very funny, I can almost say I'm proud of him."

Mard Geer tried to wrap things up. "Yes, well you can muster up some courage and tell him yourself. I'll be leaving now, good night." He then hung up the line and ended the conversation then and there as he retreated to his sanctuary at the Plutogrim Coliseum.

 _~Meanwhile, down on the court._

"OY! GET OUTTA MY WAY!"

Natsu plowed through a sea of angry press reporters as he ignored each and every request they had for an interview. One by one he shoved a hand in all their faces as he tried tracking down the first person he wanted to see.

"LUCY!?" He cried out, trying to find the missing photographer he had just seen moments ago during the game.

"NATSU...I'm over here!" Lucy was yelling as she too was trying to push her way to find him.

"Ugh…ah just hold on a minute." Natsu rolled his eyes at all the people and quickly ran through the crowd, mowing over everyone who got in his way.

"NATSU WHAT THE…!?" Lucy cried out in fear as he quickly came over and wrapped her up in his arms.

"Man I've been lookin all over for ya!" He laughed as he now got a better look at her new camera. "Wow, that thing's pretty cool!"

"Y-yea, it really is actually." She timidly started flipping through some of her first time shots. "Here! This is the one I got after you just made the game winning shot…a guy from _Sports Report Weekly_ saw it and wants to use it as his next cover shot. I think his name was Jason? I dunno I got his card…"

Natsu tilted his head because Lucy sounded kind of off for some reason. "Whoa Lucy you doing all right?"

Lucy nodded. "No yea I'm great! Um…I just went through a lot of stuff in the last 30 minutes and I'm trying to collect it all because everything was a little too great to believe and I would hate to ruin your big night with all of it so I'll just shut up and..."

She was beginning to ramble, but Natsu leaned in and made her shut up after giving her a firm kiss on the lips. Lucy gasped for a moment before retreating with a breath and a smile.

"Right…It's been so long since we've done that, haha."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Lucy? We saw each other before the game! Heck we've been in the same hotel room for the past few nights!? …Anyway start asking me questions, would ya?"

"Huh!?" Lucy fumbled with her camera and then remembered. "Oh right! Y-you wanted an interview!"

Natsu cracked a big smile and shook his head. "Or hey, you seem pretty out of it. We can just wait til later tonight if ya…"

"NATSU!"

Natsu and Lucy both raised their heads, and after the regular fans were allowed entry on the court they both looked up to find Wendy and Romeo running towards them.

"Hey Wendy!" Natsu waited for his sister to run over and then wrapped her in a big hug. "Hey, I told ya I'd win the game, didn't I?"

Wendy nodded. "Yea, but I wasn't the one who was worried! It was Romeo, remember?"

Natsu laughed and tapped his fist on Romeo's arm. "Oh right, this loser. Hey I hope you took notes, pal. You'll have to copy all that if you ever wanna play in the big leagues too."

Romeo smiled and gave him a high five. "Shut up, Natsu."

Natsu then smiled, and also saw his elder aunt Porlyusca walking his way as well.

"Hey! Even Aunt Porlyusca made it here!" He then wrapped his arms around her too.

"Yes, and I must say that was quite the game. You did scare me a few times, but it honestly was one of your best basketball games I've ever been able to watch."

"Yea? It was a hell of a lot better than the crap he used to pull on my team that's for sure."

Everyone turned to find Gildarts, Haru, and Ellie walk over as they all three had smiles on their faces. Gildarts was the one who made the previous comment, and made no hesitation in making his second. "Nice win pal. You really made me proud."

Haru then stepped up and gave Natsu a fist bump. "Eh, don't let coach confuse you. He's been feasting on popcorn for the past two hours. Good game by the way!"

Natsu was overly happy to see these two old faces there too. "No kidding! Glad you two could come! I haven't seen you guys since the wedding! What was that like last July?"

Ellie never answered as she barreled through and wrapped one arm around Natsu's neck, and the other around the unfamiliar Lucy's.

"Oooooh! Congrats Natsu! I'm sooo proud of you!" She then released them both and grabbed Lucy's hand. "HI! I'm Ellie! I'm sooo happy to finally meet you! I can't believe you were able to get a date with this loser, he never dated in college once!"

"Oh is that so…?" Lucy laughed and looked at a grumpy Natsu.

"Hmff…that was by choice." Natsu said with a pouty face and the turned around. "Whatever I'm gonna go find the other guys. Not to mention Coach, you probably wanna see Gray…?"

At that time Gray Fullbuster was all wrapped up in his own little moment as Juvia had his lips all to herself. She managed to beat his parents there and snagged a few moments for herself before they finally joined them.

Mika ran over and gave her speechless (and breathless) son a hug. "Oh Congrats, baby! I'm so proud of you! Wow it sounds like your still out of breath!"

"Y-yea…" Gray's eyes were still spinning after his surprise kiss form Juvia. "It was a hell of a game…"

Mika released her son and let Silver smack him hard on the back. "Nice win son. Daddy's proud of ya…and apparently so is your girlfriend." Silver had a smirk on his face because he was much taller than his wife, and caught Gray and Juvia enjoying their time alone in the crowd.

"It seems like it." Gray finally had enough energy to smile. "Anyway thanks for giving her some company."

Silver and Mika nodded as Gray and Juvia hugged one more time, but as they broke it, they both looked up to a near-empty seating area to Jenny and Bora leaving the seats.

Jenny was out the door and down the steps, but Bora stayed back to stop and deliver a quick head nod and salute to the champion and his girl before he left.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I guess he's done with us. Maybe we can live in peace without him?"

Juvia smiled. "Yea…or maybe we can have dinner with them again, and I can get a few more laughs from the blonde bimbo he's dating. Ooo she's the best!" Juvia rang out with sarcasm, and as they both turned Meldy, Lyon, Sting, Yukino, and Rogue came over to give them congratulations as well.

"OHHH MAGNOLIA WON!" Meldy ran into both their arms and delivered a smile, while Lyon crossed his arms over his chest and held a prideful smirk across his face.

"I guess they did. Fitting…now you can come after the Lamias with a full force next year."

Sting agreed. "No kidding! Saber City will have ta fight you for it next time around! Nice job either way!"

Gray laughed and shook his head with Juvia around his arm. "Thanks guys. Glad to see everyone enjoyed themselves."

As those two were enjoying the moment Jude, Caprico, and Levy had already made it down to the stadium, but right away Levy ran around and quickly found Gajeel wondering about the crowd of crazed fans and reporters.

"Agh this sucks! Can't I just get the damned trophy and get the hell outta here…!?"

"GAJEEL!" Levy spontaneously ran forward and jumped into Gajeel's large arms, which were just big enough to catch the petite blue haired girl in mid-flight as Gajeel let out a smile.

"Boy, Shrimp you gotta calm down. You're gonna need that voice for your dorky little press conferences."

Levy looked at him and smiled. "Nah, I can just let you do the talking, _champ_. After all we can all talk as a team tonight!"

She then leaned forward and gave him a kiss as her legs wrapped tighter around his waist. Gajeel brought her in closer to get a better hold on her before they finished up and he set her back down. Levy then started thinking. "Oh wait…Coach Makarov had something important to tell Ezra tonight. I wonder if he did it or not."

Erza was too busy wading through the crowd to find a passive but excited Jellal talking with a few reporters. She then smiled and waited for him to finish, which he did early as soon as he saw her waiting.

"So, how's it feel to finally win an FBA championship?" Erza said with her eyebrow raised.

Jellal shrugged. "I'm not sure, why don't you tell me?"

Erza rolled her eyes and grabbed a wad of his jersey as she brought him forward and kissed him on the lips. They held it out for quite a while until Jellal leaned back.

"Have you seen Minerva? I needed to tell her something after the game ended…"

Erza noticed her was smiling and slapped him on the arm before draping her arms around his shoulders.

"Relax, I doubt you or I will be seeing her anytime soon."

Jellal looked impressed. "Wow, my girlfriend is quite the forceful lady. I suppose it only befits a recently named FBA champion like me."

Erza shook her head and began looking around. "Oh stop. Now, we have to wait around for a while before they start to…"

"May I have everyone's attention, please!?"

Commissioner Arcadios stood on a newly rolled out podium as the entire crowd walked over in a slow movement. He then continued once they all calmed down.

"Thank you…ahem…in accordance to this fine league and beautiful sport, it is my pleasure to hand you, the Magnolia Fairies, this year's championship title! Now, I'd like to present you with the symbol of this league, and legacy of your very organization's founder, the _Mavis Vermilion Trophy!_ "

Fans of the Fairies and the Fairies themselves all roared with cheers as a teary eyed Makarov walked up onto the podium, followed by a waving and smiling Jude Heartfilia behind him.

Commissioner Arcadios smiled and handed Makarov the trophy. He then gave the mic off to Jude and stepped back for the owner's speech.

"Well, I must say that this has been quite an amusing season, but now that it's over, I'd like to thank these fine young men of the organization for bringing the trophy back home where it belongs." Jude waited for the clapping to start up and cease before he continued. "Also, now that I have the spot light, I'd like to officially kill any and all rumors that I might be selling the team, and I will in fact be staying with this organization for many years to come."

"YEA!" The Fairy players all cheered for their owner, and Natsu laughed as Lucy wiped a tear from her eye. Then, Jude smiled again and handed the mic off to a now sobbing Makarov.

" _BAAAAAAH!_ I LOVE THESE DAMNED STUPID KIDS! HERE'S TO MAGNOLIA FOLKS!" He then laughed and held up the Vermilion trophy for everyone to see.

Then, he used the moment after to wipe a tear from his eye and continued on a serious note. "Now, for my own speech…I have grown up with Magnolia basketball all my life. I remember my mother taking me to the early practices with my father and coach Vermilion in the old days. I also remember playing with my father's team and winning six championships in the former leagues. Then I tried my hand at coaching too, and I never really acquired a good year of play…until this year came. I felt so blessed with this group of boys, I almost thought it was a cruel dream that was set to end at any moment. They all proved me wrong in the end, and damn it, they actually won. Therefore all's I have to say is…nice win kids."

People clapped their hands, and the Fairy players all yelled out in support of their favorite coach on earth. Then, Commissioner Arcadios took the mic once again. "And now, it is finally my pleasure to announce this year's FBA Playoff MVP…Natsu Dragneel!"

Fans roared once again, and Lucy lit up as she gave Natsu a great big hug. However, Natsu looked displeased, and although he accepted a hug and kiss from Lucy, he walked up and took the mic and trophy with a frown.

"Nah man, I don't deserve any of this. I threw up some lousy shot and it went in at the last second. Heck, that was in overtime, and I didn't even send us into overtime, but I will say…" He then looked down to his team captain and friend Laxus.

"Laxus Dreyar came in and saved all our asses right on the spot. He made that free throw and sent us in to over time. Hell the dude even came in from an injury and still played his ass off! Sure I played well all season…but Laxus has played for Magnolia all his life. That's why I'm givin' this thing to him."

Then, Natsu walked off the podium and handed the trophy off to Laxus, and although the big brute wasn't a fan of soft moments, he reluctantly let an unwanted tear run down from his eye.

Mira laughed and wiped it away for him, which gave Laxus a moment to speak. "Ah…you're one stupid guy Natsu…thanks man."

Natsu smiled and raised his hands again to try and energize the crowd, but Laxus stopped him right there as he set down the trophy. Now, with everyone completely confused, the once proud captain of the Fairies finally felt fear overcome his heart.

"Heh…I've been trying to avoid this all season long, and now I have to do it in front of a crowd? Well, I guess that's my own fault…" Laxus spun around and looked at Mira without say a word as he held onto both of her hands tightly Her big blue eyes looked like they were about to melt away in confusion, and they didn't seem to get better as Laxus bent down on one knee, and pulled a tiny black box from his jersey shorts.

He met a chorus of gasps and awes as he lowered to the ground. Lucy and all the other girls stood by with gaping mouths, and Erza was now biting onto part of her collared shirt to try and stop the tears from falling.

Meanwhile, Lisanna and Elfman both smiled with joy, and as everything fell silent, Laxus looked up to Mirajane.

"Hey Mira, you'll marry me right?"

Mira coughed up a laugh through her tears and nodded her head. "Oooo I'm not even mad that you didn't ask me the regular way! OF COURSE I WILL, LAXUS!"

She pulled him up off the ground and kissed him in front of the entire world of sports. Cameras and fans surrounded as they all hooted and hollered at the moment before Cana Alberona ran over and broke them apart by taking the mic from Natsu.

"OKAY YOU LOSERS! WE'LL SEE YA ONCE THESE TWO LOVE BIRDS GET MARRIED! NOW WE'RE HEADING TO THE BARS!"

Everyone howled with laughter and praise as they all agreed, and even though they probably had a private party set up instead of the bars, it was just enough to send everyone from Magnolia home in good spirits, champions of basketball once again.

* * *

 _~Several months later, inside the beautiful Kardia Cathedral in downtown Magnolia…_

* * *

"Agh…Lucy do I have to keep wearing this stupid tie?" Natsu picked at his tie as he, Lucy and all the other wedding guests sat in the audience during a very quiet moment of the ceremony. "I didn't even wanna wear a blue one..."

Lucy smacked him on the arm and put a finger to her lips as she held her voice to a whisper. "Natsu be quiet! Mira could walk out any minute, and I doubt she'd like to find you ruining her big day by yapping about your outfit!"

Although she tried to whisper, people around them turned to look at the loud couple. Natsu chuckled with laughter but then began to pout again as Lucy started fixing his tie. "Besides, I like it. It makes you look more mature. Plus I wanted to wear blue, and that tie goes perfectly with my dress."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Mgggh…I liked the red one better…"

Lucy smacked him on the arm one more time. "Ugh just shut up, Natsu…" She then looked around with everyone else in pure confusion. "Hmm, I wonder what's taking her so long?"

Up at the alter, Laxus was with his entire wedding court and the local preacher as he stood there with nerves. Bickslow stood at his side (standing as his Best Man) and gave him a grin.

"Calm down buddy, she's probably just drinking at the bars with Cana. Maybe she thought about dumpin ya and now she's trying to use booze ta save the relationship!"

Cana yelled in a whisper from the female side of the podium. "I'm right here you ass…come to think of it I have no idea where she is. Lisanna?"

Lisanna stood at the front of the line (situated as Mira's Maid of Honor) and she too looked confused. "I dunno…I guess she could be fixing her dress?"

"Hey guys…" Elfman said standing behind Bickslow and Freed. "My back is really starting to kill me. The doc said it was supposed to be fine after taking these pills, but now it's starting back up."

"Ugh, just shut up Elfman!" Evergreen stood firmly behind Lisanna and Cana as she went to throw her flowers at him.

To compensate, Freed, who stood one step above Elfman gave him a firm pat on the back. "Relax, in time you'll be able to sit down at the reception."

"Yea?" Elfman grunted as Freed was making it worse. "Well can we just skip ahead to that part…?"

Laxus stood alone with squinting eyes as the right one began to twitch. "Ugh…idiots." He went to say more, but stopped as the music changed, and everyone turned to the door at the end of the aisle.

From the doorway, Makarov was walking the all-white bride-to-be down the aisle in a gorgeous gown that fit her body like a glove, and it puffed out slightly at the base and left a tiny trail behind her as her face was barely covered in a veil. Still, Mirajane's beautiful blue eyes and radiant smile pierced though the veil as she lit up to the entire crowd. Seeing how her parents were no longer around, Makarov volunteered to be the one to walk her down the aisle for her very important day.

Juvia and Gray stood by the aisle section as the former grabbed his arm. "Oh sweetie, maybe that will be us some day?"

Gray smiled but shook his head. "Yea, let's wait a while before we make that life-altering decision." He didn't hate the idea, but he sighed with a laugh as his overly ambitious girlfriend continued grabbing his arm and gaze at the lovely bride's entrance.

To their right Erza was trying to hold back the tears, and now she was using Jellal's tie to stop them from falling. "Oh…It could be me up there this time next year!"

Jellal gasped. "Um…well I think it takes two people being on the same page for that to happen."

As Erza, Jellal, Gray, and Juvia were all now making a scene, Levy looked over from beside Lucy and smiled. "They sure are lively aren't they?"

Lucy laughed and nodded. "That's one way of putting it I guess."

Natsu raised his voice to them, but still kept it at a whisper. "Hold on, why can you two talk and I can't!?"

"Cause you're annoying Salamander now shut up!" Gajeel yelled from the other side of Levy, but as he did the tiny Wendy leaned forward with Romeo quietly to her other side.

"Hey now, you don't have to be that mean to my brother…he's only annoying some of the time."

Everyone smiled and snickered, and looked on as Mira finally made it to the altar and took Laxus's hand. This prompted Lucy to grab Natsu's hand in pure delight, and allowed him to hold her tighter in return. Then, Lucy smiled as she let the past few months pass by in her memory.

" _Wow, what a crazy little trip this has been. Magnolia won the championship, and now we're watching Mira and Laxus get married! I'm so glad my dad didn't end up moving his company…I've really enjoyed my mini tours of Magnolia U so far, and it looks like I'll be ready to enroll for classes any time soon!"_

She then smiled and looked over to Gray and Juvia. " _Juvia is enrolling full time to finish her degree with me. I guess we'll have to look for a dorm here in the next few weeks, but eh, we can save that for later…plus it'll give time for Natsu and Gray to hang out more, which might be good and bad."_

She then turned to see Erza and Jellal standing next to them. _"I can't believe Coach Makarov is retiring, but I'm really glad Levy gave the job to Erza! She'll be such a good head coach…though it's probably pretty weird for Jellal to be dating his boss."_

Then, she slid her head in the opposite direction and looked down the same bench she was sitting at. _"Levy and my dad seem to be hard at work in the off season. They keep taking their meetings to Crocus though. I guess there's talk about FBA players playing in next year's Olympics for Fiore's national team? I dunno…all's it's done is prompted Gajeel to come over at unwanted times to bug me and play video games with Natsu and Romeo..."_ Then that led her into her next thought as she moved to the youngest couple.

 _"_ _Wendy and Romeo will be sophomores in high school now too! Wendy's taking my place in yearbook, and Romeo made the Varsity Basketball team! They'll have such a fun time in their last few years. It's pretty crazy to think Meldy and Yukino are going off to colleges in other towns, heck I'll probably even miss Sherry an Sherria too…"_

Then, as Lucy finished that thought Laxus and Mira sealed their wedding with the kiss of a life time, encouraging everyone to cheer, and allowing time for Lucy to look up at Natsu. Finally, Lucy tightened her grip on his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. _"But if I have to spend my days in Magnolia with anyone, I'm glad it gets to be Natsu…"_

Then Lucy, Natsu, and all the other guests clapped and cheered as Laxus and Mira led the wedding court back down the aisle to enjoy the reception, leading into their new lives as a happily married couple. From there Laxus and his happy Fairy teammates could then enjoy the rest of the off season, before they had to step back up in the fall and defend their title as champions of the FBA.

 _The End!_

* * *

 **WTF's with that guy who called Mard Geer in the beginning of the chapter? Eh that's not really important...**

 **GUYS THANK YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN FOR BEING THE BEST AUDIENCE I COULD EVER ASK FOR! I know I tried and failed at showing scenes from your favorite ships, and I know I disobeyed you a lot when you told me to relax and quit uploading chapters so fast, but remember I do it by choice, and only because you guys are so fun! You guys have been the first audience to actually thank me for my quick releases, and hearing feedback like that and more is really what makes me write for this website. And now...**

 **F*CK I GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE TOMORROW! WHERE DID MY LAST FOUR YEARS RUN OFF TO!? Anyway I'll see ya around, and if you're waiting around for my sequel story try stopping by my page and reading current and future stories, you may like what you see!**

 **(Also, in regards for the sequel I will add a new chapter to the end of this one when it's uploaded. It will basically be a single paragraph telling you guys my new _Hardcourt Heroes_ story is up though alerts, so follow or favorite or whatever to receive that alert? Anyway long story short if you ever see a 53rd chapter it isn't actually a chapter, but instead it will actually be the sign of a brand new story!)**

 **Anyway I'll see ya around! :D**


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